Meb Keflezighi is a American long distance runner. He was born in Eritrea but immigrated to Italy and then to America. He was 12 when he finally arrived in San Diego,California. He first started running when he was in junior high. Throughout his high school career he won numerous awards but his running career started when he received a full ride scholarship to UCLA. While at UCLA he won 4 national titles in cross country, indoor, and outdoor track. In 1999 he graduated form UCLA with a degree in communications and a business specialization. He also officially became a US citizen in the same year. Then he signed a contract with Nike. After signing with Nike he started training for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. He finished 12th with a personal record in the 10000 meter race. Then in 2004 he got the sliver medal in Athens for the marathon. In 2009 he won the New York marathon with a time of 2:09:15. At the 2012 summer Olympics he finished 4th in the marathon.
The reason that I choose this for my abstract picture is because it reflects one of Meb Keflezighi's hardest decision. He had to choose a country to represent in the Olympics and World Championships's. Although he was born in Eritrea running for the US would have it benefits. He was torn between which country he wanted to represent. If he went with Eritrea he would definitely get a spot in every Olympics. Just because Eritrea does not have a lot of runners. However if he represented the US he would have more benefits but would not be guaranteed a spot.