Oklahoma City University men’s cross country team competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Nov. 19 at Fort Vancouver in Vancouver, Wash.
Cross country runner Zouhair Talbi, a junior, repeated as individual champion. Shimales Abebe, sophomore, took the national men’s runner-up title. OCU placed 10th in the competition.
So, how did Talbi feel on the day of the competition?
“Before I answer about how I felt on the day of the competition, I would like to point out that it was really our team’s goal from the start of the season to place our focus on the Nationals Race,” he said. “This way, we could make sure that we were in top shape by the day of the race. By placing my focus on the end goal during the season, I gained confidence for the Nationals Race before the day even arrived.”
But – how did he feel?
“When the gun went off, I felt really good from the start of the race and took the lead early in the race to push the pace,” Talbi answered. “Around the halfway point, I already had a good gap between the second pack and myself, which only gave me more confidence to finish the race with.”
What, and/or who, has motivated Talbi as an athlete at OCU?
“I think the most considerable motivation has come from the support from my teammates and my coach,” he said. Talbi returned “from a successful season last year, where I had the chance to run the second-fastest 10-kilometer time in collegiate history and qualify for the Olympic games in Tokyo.” Further, he noted, “I was able to gain more respect for the sport that I am doing. This experience also gave me an increased motivation to dedicate my time to achieving my goals, which, in turn, inspired my teammates.”
What is Talbi’s secret? How did he win this competition?
“Now, I know you’re going to hate my answer to this question, but the secret is that there is no secret,” he said. “I train for hours on end. I run miles upon miles each week, building up to my major performances. “It takes real dedication to get to where I am today,” he added. “And, even though some people may believe that talent is the thing that takes you places, I believe that it takes time and consistency along with this talent to make it places.”
What is Talbi looking forward to as an athlete?
“The next stop for me will be the indoor track season, where I have to defend my national title in the 5000 meters,” he said. “I will try to break my previous national record here that I set during the 2021 indoor track season. After this season, my time will come to an end here at OCU, as I am graduating in May,” Talbi said. “After graduation, my career will take a different direction as an athlete, and I will spend more time running and working towards bigger goals – such as the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.”
Like Talbi, Shimales Abebe, the national runner-up, said he felt good about the race from the start.
“Before the race day, we went to see the course and warm up for 30 minutes,” he said. “The terrain had hills, curves and was windy too. Most runners dislike such, but I just told myself that I need to do something great in this race. On the day of the race, it was a raining a little bit, and I felt great and wanted to do my best. The race started well with Talbi and I doing some teamwork making sure we left the park behind us,” Shimales said.
Shimales said he’s motivated just by being able to quickly find a place to run.
“Before I came to OCU, I lived in Los Angeles for a couple of years where if you wanted to go to practice, you have to drive for thirty minutes or even an hour,” Shimales said. “In Oklahoma, you can drive for 10 minutes and you’d get a good place to run. My coach also tries to motivate in every possible way.”
Like his champion teammate, Shimales says there’s no secret to success – just persistence.
“There is no secret, it’s about hard work… If you practice hard, when you get to the race it will be easy for you. You don’t have to get so fast from the beginning; rather, you have to calculate your pace and maintain it so you do not get exhausted so quickly and fall behind.”
And, like Talbi, Shimales said he has even higher goals in mind.
“I have a lot I want to achieve. My goal is to become a professional runner. The world championship is in 2022. I am not so sure I am ready for that, but I will try my best to qualify. In 2024, I want to work hard to qualify for the Olympics… It’s not easy to combine this with studies,” he concluded. “I will put in the hard work to achieve that. I also want to say thank you to OCU for bringing these great opportunities for us to run, my coach, teammates and friends for the motivation and support as well.”
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