Sport
Abdi Abdirahman (Cabdixakiin Cabdiraxmaan)
Abdihakim 'Abdi' Abdirahman (born 1 January 1977) is a Somali-born American long-distance runner and five-time Olympian. Born in Mogadishu, he grew up in Tucson, Arizona. He ran the 10,000 m at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics and the marathon in 2012 and 2020. In 2020, at 43, he became the oldest American runner to make an Olympic team.
Abdi AbdirahmanCabdixakiin Cabdiraxmaan · Abdihakem Abdirahman
- Lived
- 1977-01-01 to today
- Known as one of
- Sport
- Places
- Muqdisho and Banaadir
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 1 sources
Who is he?
Abdihakim "Abdi" Abdirahman is an American long-distance runner and a five-time Olympian, in the 10,000 metres and the marathon (Wikipedia, Abdihakem Abdirahman). See sport in Somalia.
Early life
He was born in Mogadishu on 1 January 1977 (Wikipedia). He graduated from Tucson High School in Arizona in 1995, then studied at Pima Community College and the University of Arizona (same source). He became a US citizen in 2000 (same source). See Somalis in the United States.
Track
He was Pacific-10 Conference cross country athlete of the year in 1998 and second at the NCAA championships that year (Wikipedia). He ran five straight World Cross Country Championships from 2000 to 2004 (same source). He was tenth in the 10,000 m at the 2000 Olympics and fifteenth in 2004 (same source). In 2008 he won the 10,000 m at the US Olympic Trials (same source). His best 10,000 m time is 27:16.99, set in June 2008 (same source).
Marathon
He qualified for the 2012 Olympic marathon but withdrew before halfway with a knee injury (Wikipedia). He was third at the New York City Marathon in 2016, in 2:11:23 (same source). At the 2020 US Olympic Trials he was third in 2:10:03, which at 43 made him the oldest American runner to qualify for an Olympic team (same source). He finished 41st in the Tokyo Olympic marathon (same source). He was inducted into the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame in 2019 (same source).
In short
A Mogadishu-born American runner who went to five Olympics and qualified for the last at 43.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Abdihakem Abdirahman · en.wikipedia.org
Abdi AbdirahmanCabdixakiin Cabdiraxmaan · Abdihakem Abdirahman
- Lived
- 1977-01-01 to today
- Known as one of
- Sport
- Places
- Muqdisho and Banaadir
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 1 sources
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Where this matters
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
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