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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 3 of 3
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Still, with limited training, he competed for the Marshall Islands at the 2006 Micronesia Games, winning a bronze medal in the 100 meters and the gold in the 200 meters, competing against athletes from nations like Chuuk and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Soon after, there was silence from the newly formed Marshallese Olympic Committee. Cress assumed another glitch. "It was kind of like a tease," says Mr. Minor, Cress's coach. "I think he thought the opportunity was gone again."
Then, last month, Sasser told Cress he would run for the Marshalls in Beijing. He would compete in the 100-meter dash, a marquee event. Cress will be joined on the five-person Marshalls team by a high school girl runner, two swimmers, and a tae kwon do player. "The truth of the matter is a lot of these guys, including myself, don't deserve to be there," Cress says. "I mean, the whole Olympics could take athletes out of the United States alone. But, you know, it's more about the spirit of the Games. It's more a Games of unity than athletics sometimes."
Cress doesn't want it to become a Games of embarrassment. "I hope there are no Americans in my heat," he says, laughing, "because that'll be televised." And he'll be way back in the pack.
So why do it? Why go and possibly finish last, all in the blur of a few seconds?
"Because they asked," says Cress. "Due to loyalty and respect to my country, to my heritage. They've done a lot for me and I feel it's giving back. Maybe I'll run well. I'm still competitive for the Pacific [region]. They still want me because there's no one else to pick from. There's nobody else to choose from. I've got to go."
Plus, during the eight times he's visited the Marshalls since leaving as an infant or competed in other islands in Micronesia, he's felt a special, inexplicable feeling. "Even though I was raised in Minneapolis, and Minnesota has always been home for me, when I go there, I really feel like I'm home," Cress says of his birthplace. "I don't know why. It doesn't make any sense to me. But the Marshall Islands feel like home."
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