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Posted on 08/11/2012 4:07:48 PM PDT by NYer
Edited on 08/12/2012 7:56:31 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
[snip]
.- Ethiopian athlete Meseret Defar provided one of the most emotional moments of the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games when she crossed the finish line in the 5000 meter race to win the gold.
She then pulled a picture of the Virgin Mary out from under her jersey, showed it to the cameras and held it up to her face in deep prayer.
An Orthodox Christian, Defar entrusted her race to God with the sign of the cross and reached the finish line in 15:04:24, beating her fellow Ethiopian rival Tirunesh Dibaba, who was the favorite to win.
A teary-eyed Defar proudly showed the picture of the Virgin Mary with the Baby Jesus that she carried with her for the entire race.
Throughout the event, Defar kept pace with three other Ethiopian runners and three from Kenya, until speeding past them on the homestretch to win gold.
The silver medal went to Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya and the bronze to Dibaba.
Defar is also a two-time world champion in the 3000 meters. In Athens in 2004 she won the gold in the 5000 meters and in Beijing in 2008 she won the bronze.
On June 3, 2006 she broke the world record for the 5000 meters set previously by Turkish runner Elvan Abeylegesse, with a time of 14:24:53.
Not surprised. Mary went 90 from Nazareth to Bethlehem carrying a baby.
The lady runner crossed herself more than once before that race. I watched the whole thing and was quite pleased that she won. There are a whole lot of Africans blessing themselves before their events.
Good to see!
I think there is an interesting parallel with the 1936 Olympics. Just as Jesse Owens’ wins were a rebuke to Hitler’s racism in 1936, I think so many Olympic athletes witnessing their faith this year are a rebuke to Obama and the progressives who are doing everything they can to drive God and religion from the public square.
Maybe I’m being ridiculous but it really hit home to me when I saw that Ethiopian woman being such a witness to her faith. And amazingly enough, NBC didn’t cut away when she so proudly showed her image of the Madonna and Jesus.
Just my thoughts, FWIW.
I watched this race. She was not the favorite in this race. Her better known teammate from Ethiopia was the favorite, but at the very end of the race, she was the winner. Immediately after crossing the finish line, this woman began desperately tugging at something beneath her uniform. It was this picture of the madonna and child. She looked up in praise to God and began thanking Him for her win in this race.
She she looked straight at the camera and held that picture up so it could be clearly seen. She made sure everyone knew who she thanked for the win. I don’t know if she speaks a word of English but she made sure everyone knew who she felt was responsible for her winning the race.
I don’t think I will ever forget get it. Even with all the fantastic performances, all the medals, and all the stories of accomplishment, it is this young woman’s act of praise to God which truly impressed me. May God continue to bless her and save her country.
This is very nice. First event result that interested me.
I saw it too and I agree with you completely.
Again, I was completely surprised that NBC did not cut away from her bold witness.
Bookmark
I wish I could have seen it. I love Our Lady very much.
African Christians are very much on the front lines, taking a stand in spite of threats from Moslems, Marxists, or both. The spirit of the early Church is alive in Africa.
Plus also from our American althletes, heard a number of them having given God the glory after they have done their events and in a special way, those that won medals.
Heard a number of Team USA athletes giving their personal witness of their faith in Christ. It gave me confort.
Just happy also that in the interviews of any American medal winners, NBC did not decide to do the same thing, cut off.
Thanks for the post. Makes this heart swell.
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The West sent missionaries to Africa and now they are holding up the faith to and for us. Thank you Africa and thank you, Gold Medalist Meseret Defar!
Inspiring and Awesome
saw this as it happened yesterday- almost in tears...couldn’t believe it...i was on the phone with a Jewish friend of mine and told him, “a black woman from the Ethiopia who just won the gold medal in the 1500m just pulled out a picture of the Virgin Mother pinned under her singlet”...even my Jewish friend was impressed...
As far as the basketball team representing the US, I see it as a total farce.
I would rather that we lost games than have loaded teams of professionals, regardless if other countries do it or not.
Seems appropriate.
I saw it too.
Very very moving.
That’s beautiful.
Thanks for the post.
Wonderful, God love her.
i saw her make the sign of the cross also.
( it was fast, but i believe she is Orthodox... )
-
i also saw an American sprinter, clearly saying “thank you Jesus”.
i’m sure there were many many more... but probably most were not shown.
(Gabby got criticised for wearing the same hairstyle as Michelle has worn... yet Serena’s “crip walk” was mostly ignored. probably, because Gabby is a devout Christian.)
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personally, i’d rather the Olympics had ALL athletes under the Olympic flag.
but it is truly wonderful, when such wonderful young people, give praise.
That is exactly what I was thinking. People are beginning to rebel, to protest against the oppression of the radicals whether they are liberal, leftists, communists, socialists, or muslims. It will be a non-violent protest unlike the way those other groups protest.
i saw her make the sign of the cross also.
( it was fast, but i believe she is Orthodox... )
-
i also saw an American sprinter, clearly saying “thank you Jesus”.
i’m sure there were many many more... but probably most were not shown.
(Gabby got criticised for wearing the same hairstyle as Michelle has worn... yet Serena’s “crip walk” was mostly ignored. probably, because Gabby is a devout Christian.)
-
personally, i’d rather the Olympics had ALL athletes under the Olympic flag.
but it is truly wonderful, when such wonderful young people, give praise.
I hope you are right
now may God protect her when she gets home... i hope she doesn't lose her head for this
I was very impressed by the Christian expressions by both the male and female athletes in track & field. God be praised and God bless them.
You could say that she ran a “Hail Mary” on the home stretch.
Hi. Try
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoaFaC1apnM
or just search for Meseret Defar on YouTube.
It really was wonderful. Utterly breathtakingly wonderful.
Thank you, Meseret Defar.
Bump x1000
How wonderful it was.
For all we have in this country, I wish we had more of this lady’s spirit in our hearts.
THanks much for posting.
Excellent point.
Yes, I’ve seen that too. Gave me a warm feeling.
We are the light of the world
Let our light shine before all.
That they may see the good that we do
and give glory to God.
One of the most touching scenes in track and field was a 5000 meter race with the same players, Cheryot and Tirunesh (who comes from an extended family of amazing runners). It was a similar plot with the commentators gushing over Tirunish, “The Baby-faced assassin”. Meseret did what she did yesterday, but after she finished, not stopping to gasp or fall to the ground, she turned to look back at Tirunish, meeting her at the line, hugging her and asking if she felt all right, with the look of a worried mother.
Something the American runners must be aware of, but thus far don't use - perhaps because there simply are too few great distance runners here - is that the North Africans run as a team. While I haven't had time to watch this race carefully, I have seen race after race where Meseret’s team mate, usually the lovely Sentiyehu Ejigu, runs at Meseret’s shoulder, effectively a “domestique”, to protect Meseret from the rough tactics. Those tactics have taken out Morgan Uceny in three important races, including the 1500 metere at this Olympics. Uceny, like Meseret, was a favorite in a tactical race. She has a devastating kick, and always runs conservatively. Watching Morgan through the semifinals, many expected Morgan to be on the platform, and Gold was high probability with Morgan's amazing leg speed.
In two races from which Morgan was knocked out, a runner - I believe both were African runners - takes the fall or gets spiked to interfere from behind. In one race another domestique, also an African, “accidentally” fell in front of Morgan. In 2010, when Morgan and Anna Pierce had the best times in the world, they were both taken out of the same race, which I believe was at 800 meters; both Morgan and Anna had run well under 2 minutes. The European tactical races are like roller derby, and the Americans run as individuals rather than as a team. Like it or not, that is the way this game is played.
For the running fans, the Algerian woman who won the 1500 had just returned from a two year drug suspension, and had run the second fastest time this year. The woman who had the fastest time this year, a Moroccan who was also just back from drug suspension, was banned again weeks before the Olympics. For whatever its worth, the Kenyans and Ethiopians are mostly Christians (Obama came from the Muslim Minority Luo tribe of Kenya) have seldom been sanctioned for drugs, and Meseret, as the drug sleuths have noted, has none of the characteristics common to the HGH users (human growth hormone), made famous by the bearded women from the USSR. It is a difficult problem because for many athletes drugs are the only way they feel they can be competitive. Sadly, quite a few US runners have used and been sanctioned for performance enhancing drugs. This is like the conundrum facing cycling.
Virtually everyone Lance Armstrong defeated in his many Tours has been suspended for using EPO or blood pooling. Some day we may have good enough techniques to clearly identify the “enhanced” athletes. Many, if not most of the athletes know who the dopers are, but hold their tongues for many reason, not least of which is that many of the dopers have professional contracts, the only way to make a living as runner, and the “clean” athletes depend upon the same few shoe manufacturers.
Meseret is a wonderful human being as well as an amazing athlete, and so are the women who joined her on the podium, none of whom are suspected, having had long careers of gradual improvement, of drug enhancement. Our Shalene Flanegan and Kara Goucher probably work as hard, and run their hearts out, but just aren't blessed with twenty five second 200 meter speed at 4800 meters of a 5000 meter race, which part of why they have moved to the marathon, where Meseret says she will move in the future.
I agree with your thoughts there. Definitely there is a growing base of faith among all youth.
Thanks for this analysis. I am not a fan of track and field and I only happened to watch part of this race last night.
I know! My favorite Priest at our parish was from Nigeria.
His dad got sick and he had to go back home and I miss him horribly.
Maybe I’m mistaken but I would swear I saw the weightlifting coach from Iran make the Eastern Sign of the Cross before his man made a lift.
SO wonderful!
Saw this morning as I was getting ready to go to church, the American man who came in fourth for the men’s olympic marathon, whose whole family and with friends came to London to see him run. Saw him make the sign of the cross.
Thank you so much for posting this... I didn’t get a chance to thank you last night.
Meseret Defar is Ethiopian Orthodox. Christianity arrived in Ethiopia in the 1st Century. It long predates Western missionaries, or even Western Christianity.
I was inspired by this in a 5K race I ran today. I crossed myself at the start, and prayed to Jesus and Mary for strength in that difficult last half mile.
The picture the runner displayed is the traditional Ethiopian icon St. Mary of Zion, which is also the name of a very important Ethiopian church.
All the while she was displaying this picture the announcers were babbling about her cooperation with various UN population initiatives in Africa . . . about as stark a contrast as you could experience.
The ancient Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is one of the Oriental Orthodox (non-Chalcaedonian) churches, formerly under the Coptic Church of Egypt but since 1959 with its own patriarch.
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