Abdi is the successor of Wout van Aert on the honors list of the National Trophy for Sports Merit. The winner won’t be honored until later at a gala, so how did Abdi find out he was the lucky one?
“It was a busy morning for me with first a school cross-country run and then a lecture in another school,” says Abdi. “At that lecture, a student suddenly said that he saw on Sporza.be that I had won a prize. It was nice to hear the news coming in like that. A few minutes later Wilfried Meert called me with the confirmation.”
The trophy is considered a great honor for the marathon runner. “I am very happy with the great recognition. Not only from the athletics world, but from the entire sports world. This is my first prize with such an appearance. I have now seen the honors list pass and it is impressive to see my name on it and she will continue to adorn it. Very nice.”
Abdi will enjoy a holiday in his own country in the coming weeks. “To me, being on vacation means being in Ghent without having to train. Everyone asks where I go on leave, but Ghent is my dream location. That shouldn’t be more than that.”
And now become Sportsman of the Year? “I can’t control that. There are others who deserve it too. I think it’s an honor to be named as a candidate.”
