4X Olympian and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi was a special guest Tuesday at the Perry High School Library. Keflezighi, an Eritrean-born American, shared his personal story of success and hardship with over 40 Perry high school students and faculty, including the high school cross country teams. The event was organized by Cross Country Coach Tina Lutterman, and Mike Jay, the voice of the Drake Relays and Iowa state track meet, and founder of the Track Guy Foundation.
“The Track Guy Foundation raises money to help needy kids in Iowa that want to run track and cross country but might not have the necessary means to do so. Coach Lutterman reached out to me and asked if we could help a few of her kids who don’t have proper shoes and I said absolutely,” stated Jay.
The story took a twist when Jay found out that there were three Eritrean Americans on the Perry cross country roster. Yonas Andemichael, Minasey Tewelde and Maebel Teckle are all cross country runners. Jay immediately reached out to long time friend, Iowa native and ESPN anchor John Anderson.
“I knew John would know where Perry was since he was an Iowan, so I told him I was meeting some Perry kids who have an Eritrean background, to help purchase some shoes. Five minutes later, John calls back and says Meb would like to do a zoom call with the student athletes.”
Keflezighi talked with the students for over 30 minutes detailing his Olympic success and failures. He competed in four Olympic games including Sydney in 2000, Athens in 2004, London in 2012 and the Rio Games in 2016.
Keflezighi also shared his family’s plight as refugees from Eritrea to the United States via Italy in 1987. He talked with several of the Perry runners in a personal, one on one question and answer session.
“It was a motivating day for anyone, whether you’re from Eritrea, Perry, Iowa or my town of Columbus Junction. A true story about not giving up on your dreams, chasing your goals, and not slowing down during tough times. It was a great day for everyone.”