Abdihamid Nur facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Abdihamid Nur

Nur (left) competes for the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks in 2020.
Personal information
Born	(1998-10-14) October 14, 1998 (age 26) Mogadishu, Somalia
Alma mater	Northern Arizona University '22 North High School< '17
Employer	Nike
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	5000 m, 10,000 m
University team	Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
Turned pro	2022
Coached by	Michael Smith
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	Outdoor 1500 metres: 3:36.33 (Azusa 2022) Mile: 3:55.94 (Seattle 2022) 3000 metres: 7:40.66 (Seattle 2022) 5000 metres: 13:05.17 (Los Angeles 2023) 10,000 metres: 27:17.28 (San Juan Capistrano) Indoor Mile: 4:03.98 (Bozeman 2022) 3000 metres: 7:58.65 (Albuquerque 2022) 5000 metres: 13:03.17 (Boston 2024)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing the  United States Representing Northern Arizona Lumberjacks/ Big Sky Conference NCAA Cross Country Championships Gold 2020 Stillwater Team Gold Gold 2021 Tallahassee Team Gold Silver 2019 Terre Haute Team Silver NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships Gold 2022 Birmingham 5000 meters Gold 2022 Birmingham 3000 meters NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Bronze 2022 Eugene 10,000 meters Bronze 2021 Eugene 10,000 meters

Abdihamid "Abdi" Nur, born on October 14, 1998, is an amazing long-distance runner. He was born in Somalia but now represents the United States. He ran for Northern Arizona University from 2019 to 2022. During his time there, he won many national titles in the NCAA. He even set a new record for the outdoor 5000-meter race in college! After finishing university, Abdi joined Nike. He has since won two national titles and competed for the US in the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. He also represented the US at the 2024 Olympic Games.

Abdi Nur's Early Life

Abdi Nur was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, on October 14, 1998. He is one of eight children in his family. His family had to leave Somalia when he was very young. This was because of problems in the country. Abdi was just a baby, so he doesn't remember much about living there. His mother wanted a safer life for her children.

They first lived in Kenya for three years. His mother had a shop there. Then, they moved to Cairo, Egypt, where they stayed for five years. Abdi was only four years old when they arrived in Egypt. In 2006, his family moved to the United States. They first lived in New Mexico for a short time. After that, they moved to Apple Valley, Minnesota, to be near family. Abdi's mother worked hard as a janitor and babysitter. She was the main person who earned money for the family. In 2013, when Abdi was about to start high school, they moved again to Phoenix, Arizona. His mother preferred the warmer weather there.

Starting Sports in Arizona

When Abdi first started at North High School in Phoenix, he played soccer. He found that sports helped him make friends and get used to living in the United States. However, a serious car accident changed his path. In his second year of high school, Abdi was a passenger in a car that was hit. He hurt his knee and collarbone, needing surgery. He couldn't go to school for three months and missed the whole soccer season. He remembers this as a very tough time.

To get back to soccer for his junior year, Abdi went through physical therapy. He needed to improve his fitness and stamina. His coach suggested he try cross country running. Abdi was surprisingly good at it! In his very first race in Flagstaff, Arizona, he finished in third place. His coach saw his talent and told him to focus on running instead of soccer. Abdi found this idea strange at first. Soccer was a huge part of his life, and his whole family played it.

But soon, Abdi started to really enjoy running. In his senior year of high school, he won the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) Cross Country Division I State Championships. This big win opened up many chances for him to go to college. He ran his best times in high school: 5 km in 15:30.0, 3200 m in 9:27.02, and 1600 m in 4:28.34. After his state championship win, Northern Arizona University (NAU) became interested in him. Even though he didn't meet the academic requirements for their team right away, he worked hard to improve his grades so he could compete in college.

College Running Journey

Training at Coconino County Community College

In 2017, Abdi enrolled at Coconino County Community College in Flagstaff. He focused completely on his studies and training. His goal was to get into NAU. It was challenging because he had to train without a coach or a team. He also had to get used to living on his own and taking college classes. Since he was still in Arizona, he trained with friends off-campus. The cross country coach at NAU, Michael Smith, stayed in touch with Abdi. Coach Smith checked on Abdi's progress to see if he was ready for NAU.

Flagstaff is a small town, so Abdi often saw NAU athletes running on trails. He was amazed by how easily they ran past him. This made him wonder if he could ever be good enough to join the NAU team. It was hard for him to believe he could even make the team, let alone be one of their top seven runners. In 2018, Abdi still didn't meet the NCAA standards. He was disappointed, but he learned to stay focused and chase his dreams even harder.

Joining Northern Arizona University

Finally, in the summer of 2019, Abdi improved his grades and was accepted into NAU. Coach Mike Smith started Abdi's training slowly. This was because Abdi had taken a two-year break from serious running. But Abdi was more than ready! He quickly started training with the top runners, like his teammate Luis Grijalva. Luis became Abdi's training partner and mentor. They pushed each other to do their best and became close friends. Abdi would run 80 to 90 miles a week, and Luis would run 90 to 100 miles a week. Abdi was surprised when he could keep up with Luis during one tough workout. This gave him a lot of confidence. He started to believe he could be one of the top runners in competitions after all.

Competition Highlights

International Races

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  United States
2022	World Championships	Eugene, United States	11th	5000 m	13:18.05
2023	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	12th	5000 m	13:23.90
2024	Olympic Games	Paris, France	19th (heat)	5000 m	14:15.00

National Championships

NCAA and Big Sky Championships