On the surface, Alia Saeed and Betlhem Desaleyn, the two runners slated to compete for the UAE at this month’s Olympics, appear decidedly similar.
The Ethiopian-born athletes are both almost painfully shy, publicly at least. They both prefer to shun the spotlight rather than court it. Yet both are fiercely focused on their training and their respective disciplines.
That dedication has already borne fruit at continental level. Saeed, who competes at 10,000m, took gold at the 2014 Asian Games and the 2015 Asian Championships.
Desaleyn, who competes at 1,500m and 5,000m, is a four-time Asian champion, with gold in both distances at the 2013 and 2015 Asian Championships. She has Olympic experience, too, although she failed to qualify from her heat at the London Games four years ago.
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However, Desaleyn’s participation at Rio is uncertain after she aggravated a hamstring injury two weeks ago at a meet in Belgium. A decision is expected late on Wednesday on her ability to recover in time for the 1,500m heats on August 13.
That places yet more pressure on Saeed, even more of the attention and the glare that she so readily avoids. The UAE’s ‘Golden Girls’ could separate, could be broken up.
Yet, perhaps that is where the duo diverges. Saeed has emerged as the more single-minded, an equally accomplished runner but one who can drown out the background noise and fix focus on that stretch of track ahead.
As Ahmed Al Kamali, the UAE Athletics Federation president and mentor to Saeed and Desaleyn, puts it, “Alia is a competition girl, she can run anywhere. She’s very shy, never speaks, but when the race comes she always says ‘OK, I’ll do my best’. And then she just goes”.
Desaleyn, though, can sometimes be affected by outside factors. Initially considered the more talented athlete, she can be distracted by the pressure to perform. She is undoubtedly gifted, and this year improved again to run a 1,500m personal best 4:03.7, but she needs to feel completely comfortable to deliver on her potential. Like London 2012, Rio 2016 provides the grandest stage.
Last year, Saeed and Desaleyn disappointed at the World Championships, although the federation later said they were both hindered by injury.
Until Belgium two weeks ago, preparations were on course: altitude training in the Ethiopian mountains, a steady flow of competitions in locations such as Stockholm, Monaco, Barcelona and Beijing.
Should both make Rio, then Saeed can legitimately target at least a top-six place in what, blatantly, will be a hugely demanding race on August 12. She posted the 11th fastest time in the world this year.
Desaleyn, meanwhile, will seek to make the final, although she needs to first negotiate the heats and the semi-finals. As always at 1,500m, tactics will prove decisive.
If Desaleyn fails to regain fitness, Saeed must carry the UAE’s hopes. Yet do not be fooled by the unassuming exterior. Whether her regular sidekick makes Rio or not, there remains an intense desire to succeed.
[ jmcauley@thenational.ae ]
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