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Kerim Okten/ EPA file
Somalian athlete Samia Yusuf Omar at at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
A woman from war-torn Somalia who rose to fame by running in the 200 meters at the Beijing Olympics drowned while trying to reach Europe ahead of the London 2012 Games, it has emerged.
Samia Yusuf Omar died when a boat carrying migrants from Libya to Italy sank in April, according to a report in Italian by the Pubblico blog and other Italian media.
The BBC said the Italian media reports suggest Omar may have been hoping to find a coach in Europe who could help her reach the London Olympics.
Somali track and field legend Abdi Bile, who was world champion in the 1500 meters in 1987, was quoted as comparing Omar’s fate with that of Somali-born British runner Mo Farah, who won two Olympic gold medals at the London Games.
"We are happy for Mo -- he is our pride," he said, according to Pubblico. "But we will not forget Samia."
There were few details about what happened to Omar, but BBC News said Somalia’s National Olympic Committee had confirmed she had died. NBC News was unable to reach the committee on the phone number listed on its website and an email was not immediately returned.
Italy's Coast Guard rescues 80 migrants from an overcrowded boat stranded just off the coast of the southern island of Lampedusa. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
There were tributes to Omar from across the world on the comments section of a YouTube video of her race in Beijing.
“Love, hope and peace from Barcelona Samia. Your still alive in ours hearts. RIP,” one user, frankiee78, said.
Somali Olympic chief killed in Mogadishu suicide blast
“Brave is the one who never give up ... Even being the last one on this heat, Samia was proud of being there for her country. Every time when a shooting star will shows in a Somalian sky, it will be Samia the one who is going to be running for her country.... RIP from Columbus, OH,” MrEmilito74 said.
There were messages from people in the United States, Serbia, Mexico, Portugal, Uruguay and other countries.
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Leave a Comment:
What a tragic end to a young life. It reminds me that no matter how bad we think our government is, none of us are literally dying to get away.
You are so right. When many of us think life is rotten because we can't buy the car we want or have the perfect job one must remember what true hardships are.
RIP
It's also a crazy contrast to how dependent athletes are on state sponsorship. Somalia literally has bigger fish to fry, first with infrastructure, then domestic terrorism, let alone resolving the status of more-stable Somaliland (where Mo Farrah is from) relative to the larger state of Somalia.
Go with God dear one.
What a terrible waste of human spirit and potential... shame on us humans...
It may seem like a waste but nothing is ever wasted, no matter the conditions. It is sad, but in a different dimension , she is definitely winning. She went over the hurdles and kept on going. She was fighting to keep her goal alive and that is priceless, almost as good as saving another being.
I agree, Alumette, and will add that there will be many people who will be inspired by her drive and courage, and that in and of itself can, under certain circumstances, save another human being.
She knew the risks, she took her chances, she's a Darwin Award Winner
Do you have any dead children I could make fun of...just to even things out?
Go back to sleep and repost when you're fully awake (benefit of the doubt given).
Reply to Buffaloes Roam: You are a very cold person. You are so fool that you would not understand the reason why one would leave somalia on a boat
Correction: my reply is for "Joe from Kalispel" and not Buffaloes Roam
Joe.... you are beyond cold.
Joe, how the f-k did you beat the natural selection odds? Are you like the possum? Dumb but a prolific breeder? What was Darwinian about trying to find a better life by boarding a migrant boat from a totally f-up place like Somalia? If anything, these folks show spirit and intelligence you can only dream about.
Joe, thanks for building Kalispell's brand and reputation. I'm sure the local Chamber of Commerce is grateful.
Cold but the truth. People make bad decisions every day and remove themselves from the gene pool.
If I were you, Joe--I would not tempt fate. To tempt fate, or God, or the universe--however you want to put it--is to invite upon yourself the same set of circumstances that she was under--lets see how well you would do under the same type of government and environment....
I am just guessing here, Joe, but I think most women have taken you out of the gene pool without your consent.
Joe, from Kalispell
Mr. Karma owes you BIG time!!
This has absolutely nothing to do with Darwin or evolution. This, is an instance of a tragic death at the hands of a horrible, completely human system of abject cruelty and tyranny. The crackpots have designed these systems to trump upward mobility in society so that they might stay on top.
This has nothing to do with evolution and everything to do with the fragile falsehood of "civilization" as we pretend to know it.
too bad she wasnt a swimmer instead of a sprinter.
Well, now you have all of us laughing. What a wit.
In the words of Bill Cosby (To quote a conversation between God & Noah on one of his very old comedy albums), "How long can you tread water?"
it's a wonderful world after all.(sarc)
Save the environment. what is wonderful about someone being dead from a tragic accident
(sarc)
Joe, from Kalispell, what a shriveled heart you have. I feel so sorry for those around you.
Mo farah - Is Mohammad Farah (Somali born but British Citizen)
British press conveniently wants to shorten his name to MO (and not the Muslim name Mohammad). Selective acceptance of good and reject bad stuff (discrimination and duplicity of press? perhaps)
Very sad. Some conditions do not give the opportunity to survive. She was beautiful, young and obviously driven. Where ever she is now, she is definitely winning.
Shame on who?? Shame on her for doing something that was almost certain to end in death. Like someone else posted...Darwin winner for sure.
Blame who?? Blame her and the other people for trying to do something that was almost guaranteed to fail.
Like someone else said...Darwin winner for sure.
fish, you are an idiot. put you in with Joe. Do you not understand that most of the world does not live like you and have the freedon that you obviously take for granted? She risked everything to get out of a war torn country that includes who knows what other horrors she had to deal with. Your ignorant attitude is a big reason why we are going backwards in this country. Go have a cigarette and cheeseburger and continue to complain about the world, your so helpful. I know you are not trying to be helpful, but people like you create the liberals that you hate so much, i am guessing at your politcal affiliation and would bet it is not where i line up. Like littlechanges said, i feel sorry for those around you.
FishTacos - sadly life is not fair.
If it was then more mean spirited people like you with cold little hearts and atrophied brains would be Fish FOOD. Very few people get what they really deserve in life - especially detractors from the human race such as yourself.
I recall some years ago, when working in the war zone of southern Sudan, asking my staff what the difference was between us and the people suffering there. The only real difference - geography. We had the good fortune to be born in a different zip code.
People like you don't have the capacity to survive such living hells on earth. But to our dismay you were born over 'here' where you get to be an anchor behind the society's boat. Aren't we fortunate.
I have a question for Fish Tacos and Joe from Kalispell--if you woke up tomorrow and found yourself in the same type of situation, what would you do?
Learn to swim.
Hahahaha, golliegeewillikers--gee, have you ever been out to sea? I have, my hubby and I like to fish--I've been out to where the tuna run free, where we boarded the fishing boat the night before, zoomed all night while we slept in the bunk beds in the bow of the boat then fished all day, brought home some tasty albacore. Both my husband and I know how to swim. But had the boat gone down, without fast rescue we would have drowned--probably would have lost consiousness from hypothermia first. But it's like the famious quote from the movie Braveheart "Everyone dies, not everyone truly lives."
Obviously get a much bigger boat that could make the trip.
You really think that it is ALL just about where you were deposited on this planet? Sounds like a typical liberal response.....we are all equal save for the fact that I am more fortunate than you, but I really would help you become like me.... blah blah blah
Fish Tacos--I bet she did not have that option! Until you face the same kind of threats and hardships she faced in Somalia, until you face the same kind of desperation, you can not truly know for 100% what you would do, none of us can unless we have been tested by that fire.
Search your soul, fish, for some mercy.
How sad to see the desperate straits so many people must live in. How proud to exalt oneself with such critical comments.
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some cold cold people. I hope there is a HELL because fish tacos and joe from kalispell have an express ride down. Hopefully they land in Somalia.
Some cold cold people. If there is a Hell, fishtacos & joe from kalispell have express rides on the elevator going down. Jerry66318...good comment
sorry for the double post. i did not think the first went through. PEACE
Jesus, enough of the boat people already. Europe is being FLOODED with people they DO NOT WANT THERE.
Samia, I am sorry I wasn't able to help you. May the Creator give you eternal happiness.
I find this very sad. While it's true that Europe is being flooded with people they don't want, this girl had already proved she had the spirit and drive to do something great with her life. I doubt she would have become a burden to any society of which she became a part, and had she been successful in obtaining the coach she sought... who knows?
The Darwin comments? It would have been more out of character for this girl to just sit and wait for the ravages of war and poverty to overtake her. Though her future was a painfully short one, she took it in her own hands. Few of us have the courage to do that when the odds are so against us.
screminmimi--that was VERY well said--thank you!
Takes alot of courage to run scared and flee, in a boat too small her her purpose.
Maybe she could have used less "courage" and more "brains".
Yo Fish Tacos- You'd 'get' that bigger boat exactly how? Remember you don't get to rely on any of the great things available to you because of where you and your family were born.
To express doubt that we were not all created equal is to express doubt in your own country's founding documents. It's right there in black and white: "...all men are created equal, and are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights..."
To imply that is a 'liberal' position is idiotic. I'm no liberal. I'm an American.
Well said, Biker4life!!!
I seriously doubt if any of the people who reference Darwin in such crude and vulgar ways ever read "On the Origin of Species". Darwin would surely cringe.