Abdi Nageeye herself called it afterwards “a dream that used to seem so far away”. He was the first Dutchman in 41 editions to win the Rotterdam marathon in the men’s race on Sunday. The 33-year-old number two of last year’s Olympics more than improved his own national record of 2.06.17 in 2.04.56, the time he ran when he finished fourth in Rotterdam in 2019.
In an exciting final sprint side by side, Nageeye defeated the Ethiopian Leul Gebresilase on the Coolsingel after 42 kilometers and 195 meters. Remarkably calmly, he told the NOS a few minutes later about the dream he had already cherished since 2010, “when I asked myself whether I would continue my studies or put everything on athletics.”
In fact, his main question then was whether he would ever be able to compete with the Kenyan and Ethiopian runners who dominate the marathon internationally. “I was able to do that here for a long time in 2019. After that I thought: persevere, keep training, keep believing. I’ve had so many disappointments and so many injuries, but I still believed in it.”
Nageeye, born in Somalia, who fled his country for the violence in 1996 and ended up in the Netherlands, was the second Dutchman after Gerard Nijboer (1980) to win a silver medal at the Games last year. He also impressed in the Olympic marathon by guiding his Belgian friend Bashir Abdi, who, like him, comes from Somalia, to bronze.
Also in Rotterdam ‘Abdi and Abdi’ determined the course of the competition. Under ideal conditions – virtually no wind and not too high temperatures – six runners remained in front after 30 kilometers, with the two native Somalis among them. When Kenyan Kipyego and Gebresilase accelerated after 33 kilometers, Bashir first took Nageeye in tow. In the tough last kilometers, the Belgian had to leave a gap. Nageeye continued to follow in the footsteps of the two Africans and eventually sprinted to the win. „Now I have won Rotterdam. I am very proud and happy.”
Among the women, the Dutch Nienke Brinkman surprised with second place and a Dutch record (2.22.51).
Nienke Brinkman continues to amaze S6