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| Jay Weiner Sprinter Roman Cress |
One athlete's story of competing in his country's first Olympics
Roman Cress, a junior-high assistant in Minnesota, will compete for his native Marshall Islands in Beijing – part of a five-member team the nation is fielding for its first Games.
from the May 22, 2008 edition
Page 2 of 3
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Native Minnesotan Bob Cress was a Peace Corps volunteer from 1970-72 on the island of Kaven in the Maleolap atoll. He remained there after his stint and taught English. He met native Margina Aikne. One of 11 children, she was the daughter of a fisherman. Bob and Margina married in 1974.
On Aug. 2, 1977, Roman was born, the second of four children. Three decades later, Roman Cress is the Marshalls' most decorated international athlete, winning medals in regional events and competing in world championships.
But in his view the nation of 60,000 people – which doesn't even have an Olympic-sized track – should have marched into the Opening Ceremonies in Sydney at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Cress was in the best shape of his life, and the Marshall Islands, which gained independence from the US in 1986, is a virtual neighbor to Australia, only 3,000 miles away.
In 1999, Cress ran a 10.39-second 100-meter dash, his personal best. Later, in 2000, he set or matched five school and conference records while at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. He ran the world's ninth-fastest indoor 55-meter time of 6.20. "This is when Roman was in his prime," Terry Sasser, secretary-general of the Marshall Island Olympic Committee, wrote in an e-mail. "He actually held the record for the fastest man in the Pacific at that time and qualified on his own merit in the 100 meters, which is a very difficult task."
But at that point the Marshall Islands didn't sponsor five sports, which is a requirement of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for admission to the Games. Cress viewed that moment as an "injustice." Mr. Sasser admits the effort to get to Sydney was "premature."
Soon after, injuries dogged Cress, but he continued to compete off and on for the Marshall Islands in Pacific regional events.
Again, in 2004, the Marshalls were denied a chance to send athletes to Athens. Cress saw his dream fading. Sasser and other Marshall Islands Olympic officials continued their lobbying.
On Feb. 9, 2006, the IOC recognized the Marshall Islands National Olympic Committee and approved it for participation in Beijing. On the other side of the world, Cress heard the news. But, by now, he was a father, a husband, and an administrative assistant at North View Junior High in Brooklyn Park, Minn.
"I was on to other things," he says.
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