Moh Ahmed Goes the Distance
Mohammed Ahmed’s bronze medal in the 10,000m at last year’s World Championships, silenced those who had written him off as an also-ran. It also proved his ability to be patient, which is now being tested again as he waits for his chance at Olympic glory.
29-YEAR-OLD MOHAMMED AHMED of St. Catharines, Ont. proved he’s among the best in the world with his bronze-medal performance in the 5,000m at the 2019 World Championships. Olympic glory was now within his sights, and the postponement of the Tokyo Games to 2021 is just a further test of his considerable patience
Moh Ahmed heard the whispers loudly: “Moh is an also-ran.” “Moh can run fast but he can’t win a major championship medal.” “Moh can’t kick.” The negative words had an effect.
Despite winning a pair of silver medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and setting national records at distances from 3,000m to 10,000m, he would be left behind at the bell, unable to sprint with the world’s best. How much longer, he wondered, could he continue making the necessary sacrifices required to chase a major medal?
Everything changed for Ahmed last October when he captured the 5,000m bronze medal at the iaaf World Athletics Championships in Doha’s Khalifa
International Stadium. As he draped himself in the Canadian f lag, grinning broadly, the relief was palpable. Forgotten were the tears he shed after a crushing fourth-place finish in the 2016 Rio Olympics 5,000m final. The encouraging words of Jerry Schumacher, his coach at the Bowerman Track Club for the past five years, rang true. Yes, he can win medals at the highest level. Yes, he can be a formidable presence on the world stage.
As the 29-year-old prepares for the Tokyo Olympics, which have been postponed by a year, it is with a great deal more confidence than he had in 2019. That Doha bronze was quickly tucked away in a closet, though. Ahmed is chasing gold, even though his dream must wait.
“I am looking at this from a positive perspective,” he says of the Olympics delay. “I have another year to get stronger. I’ve just got to stay healthy, and whatever races I have in the next four or five months, I have to work on my strength and take some risks. It’s another year of preparation.”
Canadian athletes have always made an impression globally, but Ahmed’s bronze was the first ever by a Canadian distance runner at the world outdoor championships. Arguably it was the best Canadian performance of the year. Those of us who foolishly underestimated the St. Catharines, Ont. native’s capability were left to admire the plucky determination that led to this landmark performance.
Seizing the lead with roughly three laps remaining, he effectively dulled the finishing kick of athletes with superior times to his own Canadian record (12:58.16) and covered the final kilometre in 2:27.18. This was despite being clipped several times from behind, his long stride and high kick back often deceiving those following.
An extraordinarily brave effort it was, and it not only prevented an Ethiopian medal sweep, but it left Ethiopian champion Telahun Bekele, European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway and 2016 Olympic silver medalist Paul Chelimo of the U.S. legless in his wake.
“Doha was different,” Ahmed recalls with characteristic humility. “I made a decision I was going to go to the front with 600 or 800 metres left and take charge. What was a surprise was that the Ethiopians pushed it pretty hard, early, from the front. It started slowing down after 3k, and I remember feeling super happy, just waiting for my moment to move. I remember all of a sudden the anxiety started to come in and, for whatever reason, the inside opened up for me. I made my move with three laps to go. It was just sheer luck.”
Ahead of him, Muktar Edris successfully defended his world title in 12:58.85, while Selemon Barega snatched the silver medal in 12:59.70. They are sure to view the Canadian – who recorded 13:01.11 – with more respect when they next meet.
And yes, luck plays a part. Most important, though, is the grind – getting out to train in all conditions, and simply having a relatively injury-free decade. Consistently racing in championships year in and year out has also helped Ahmed deal with the anxiety of walking into a crowded stadium with everything on the line. Handling nerves is as crucial as luck.
“You look back at Rio,” he explains. “One of the reasons I was so disappointed and frustrated was that I had a disappointing 10,000m (on the opening day of the Olympics). It was more the experience of dealing with the pressure. Obviously I was fishing a little bit over my head, but I felt I could get a medal. But being so young and so inexperienced, I just froze under the pressure.”
Typically the men’s 10,000m final is held on the opening day of the championships, with the 5,000m heats five days later. But in Doha, the 5,000m came first. Ahmed doubled back in the Doha 10,000m and lowered his own Canadian record to 26:59.34. That earned him sixth place. The Tokyo Olympic schedule has the 10,000m on the opening day, which leads to the obvious question: in which event does he think his best chance of a medal lies?
“Oh man, I don’t know,” he says, laughing, “It’s