Notre Dame Graduate to Compete in London Olympics

Millions of people around the world tune into the Olympic games to watch athletes do the seemingly impossible.

Young men and women become household names as new records are set and gold medals awarded. New generations of children watch the games and dream that, just maybe, they will compete in the Olympics someday.

For many years, four local athletes – Brian Siemann, Ashhad Agyapong, Miriam Khan and Kevin Thompson – have trained hard to fulfill their dreams of competing in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

For Notre Dame High School graduate Siemann, those dreams will become reality when, as a member of Team USA, he takes part in several track and field events (100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, 400 meter dash, 800 meter run and the 4x400 meter relay) during the 2012 Paralympic Games that begin in London on Aug. 29.

The others, sadly, fell just short of qualifying for the Olympics this year.

Here are their stories:

Brian Siemann

During Siemann’s freshman year at Notre Dame High School in 2004, track coach Joe McLaughlin looked at Siemann sitting in his wheelchair and asked if he was in it permanently or if he had “broken his leg or something.”

Siemann was honest and said “I’m in this for life.” McLaughlin, nevertheless, invited him to join the track team.

“[McLaughlin] saw a wheelchair section at another game,” Siemann recalled during an interview earlier this month. “He and I went into this completely not knowing what we were doing. He found me a team of other disabled athletes to train with.

“The majority of my training happened at Notre Dame. I did the exact workouts they did. That provided the endurance I needed on the track for my skill level,” Siemann said.

Even with that training, there was still a lot that needed to be done. “I was 15 years old. I didn’t know the mechanics of the sport. He [McLaughlin] didn’t coddle me. He saw the potential and helped sponsor me.”

Notre Dame High School raised money for a special wheelchair that Siemann uses for competitions.

During each of his four years of high school, Siemann was state champion in the 100, 400, 800 and 1,600 meter events. In 2007 he set his eyes on competing in the 2012 Paralympic Games.

As he neared graduation from high school, he sought a university that would help him take his talents to the next level.

Both the University of Illinois and the University of Arizona offered adapted wheelchair sports. Siemann chose Illinois so he could train with coach Adam Bleakney.

“Bleakney is the best coach you could ever have. He spent a lot of years competing. He is a three-time Paralympian, and winner of the Chicago Marathon,” Siemann explained. “He was able to effectively use his knowledge in being an athlete and knowledge of muscles to get the most out of my performance.”

Siemann’s best times are:

• 100 meter – 15.2 seconds
• 200 meter – 27 seconds
• 400 meter – 51.08 seconds
• 800 meter – 1minute 43 seconds

While he is focused on London, Siemann also plans to compete in Rio in the 2016 Paralympic Games. In between he will graduate in 2013 with a degree in English, and a minor in secondary education. He will continue to train while working on his masters degree.

In addition to short distances, Siemann placed 12th at the 2011 New York City Marathon in the wheelchair division.

“I’ve remained committed to what I said I’d do. Back in 2007 that seemed almost impossible, but I am here now.”

Ashhad Agyapong

Agyapong, a Trenton resident, teamed up in 2010 with Miriam Khan and Kevin Thompson and College of New Jersey assistant track coach Justin Lindsey to form AMK International, an organization dedicated to providing “a strong and competitive training environment for track and field athletes training professionally in New Jersey.”

AMK athletes train locally at The Lawrenceville School, Princeton University and The College of New Jersey.

Just as Siemann did, Agyapong, Khan and Thompson set their sights on competing in the Olympics in London this year. But instead of trying to make Team USA, they hoped to represent other countries: Agyapong for Ghana, Khan for Italy and Thompson for Jamaica.

In addition to their training, Agyapong and Khan became dual citizens of their respective goal countries.

Agyapong, 26, left for Ghana in early June in order to compete. He was interviewed via email.

“I've been a dual citizen of United States and Ghana for nearly a year now,” said Agyapong, whose father was born in Ghana. “But the process was not that easy as I had to deal with my own struggles in attaining my dual citizen status. I actually started my process in 2008 as I had qualified for the Beijing Olympics but everything in the process then fell to pieces at the last minute. I started the new process back up later in the 2010 calendar year and things didn't manifest until just before I had to leave for the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.”

Agyapong was born and raised in Trenton. He started competing during his sophomore year at Trenton Central High School. He picked it up again his junior year of college at the University of Rhode Island. In his senior year he qualified for the U.S. Senior National Championships. That’s when he set his eyes on the Olympics, and was ranked 50th in the world for the 200 meter.

Fast forward a few years. He qualified and competed in the 2011 International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships in South Korea. “I qualified with the Ghana National Team to run the 4x100 meter relay at the event. Although we didn't fare too well the experience I took from that was immeasurable.”

Agyapong’s best time is 10.13 seconds in the 100 meter and 20.38 seconds in the 200 meter races.

When asked about training, Agyapong said, “Training is grueling. My coach Justin Lindsey makes sure that we are fit and ready for our long competitive seasons. We typical start fall training in September/October and depending on how deep into the season you reach you sometimes can compete till mid-August. We mostly train six days per week and sessions range anywhere from 2-5 hours per day. So as you can see a lot of time and sacrifice goes into being recognized as an Olympic caliber athlete.”

Sadly, Agyapong missed the official Olympic qualifying time by one-one hundredth of a second and will not be representing Ghana in the London Olympics.

“I'm very appreciative for everyone that has supported and been behind me up to this point,” Agyapong said. “I can say that this sport will always be in my life. Once I hang the spikes up for good I will be heavily involved and carry my same drive and determination to my coaching career. I can’t wait to pass my knowledge to younger individuals!”

He went on to thank “Pennington Bagel, massage therapist Deanna Bender of On-Site Therapies for Preventative Care, The Lawrenceville School, Shore AC and The College of New Jersey athletic department. Also thank you to my training partners at AMK International and my coach Justin Lindsey for his guidance and direction in everything.”

Miriam Khan

Miriam Khan, 23, is the M in AMK International. A resident of Hopewell Township and graduate of Hopewell Valley Central High School, she was a stand-out track star at The College of New Jersey. Her maternal grandfather was born in Sicily. Although it was more challenging for her to become a dual citizen in Italy instead of Pakistan (where her father is from), she opted for Italy because the Italian team is more established and does not have the clothing restrictions that exist in Pakistan.

Khan started racing in the seventh grade after a parent noticed how fast she could run around the bases during a game. “She encouraged me to try out for track. [While in high school] a friend jokingly said ‘You’ll make the Olympics.’”

While at TCNJ, she was the 2010 Division III NCAA National Champion with a time of 11.67 seconds in the 100 meter race. After talking to her coach, she began to think the Olympics were indeed possible.

“I began a two-year plan. I did a fifth year in college [she was considered a senior academically, but a junior athletically]. I was going to train a year for nationals, and train this year for the Olympics.” Instead, she had a bad case of pneumonia only a couple of weeks before nationals. “I put so much work for nothing to show for it.”

 “Training alone can be such a mental drain. It is really a big help for everyone [to train together],” she said of her AMK comrades. Occasionally they race each other – giving Khan a two second lead to level the field.

Khan also faced last minute obstacles in her race to the Olympics.

During each step of the process she and Coach Lindsey communicated with people in Italy about her intentions to compete in the Italian national competitions. But a couple of weeks prior to flying out to Italy, she was told none of her prior races allowed her to qualify to compete at the Italian Olympic trials because she had not raced as an Italian.

Two days before leaving for Italy, she and Coach Justin drove six hours to compete in a qualifying run in Pennfield, N.Y., then drove back six hours and flew to Italy the next night.

“It was too much for her,” Lindsey explained.

Khan came in eighth place at the Olympic trials and did not qualify for the Italian team.

Kevin Thompson

Thompson, who lives in Ewing, did not have the same issues seeking dual citizenship as did Agyapong and Khan. He was born in Jamaica and moved to New Jersey when he was 12.

In addition to training six days a week and helping his wife care for their 11-month-old son, Thompson works full-time for the Credit Union of New Jersey. After putting in a full day at the office, he heads to the TCNJ track to run for an hour and lift weights for another 45 minutes. His office gave him time off in order to go to Jamaica and London to compete.

Thompson began racing as a freshman in high school. “I’ve been watching the Olympics since I was very young. Now I am at a level where I could compete. Last year opened my eyes to a whole lot after I ran 20.66 (in the 200 meter) at the end of my season. I saw I have a great chance to do the same time or a little faster.”

While in Jamaica, he competed against world-record holder Usain Bolt. Of competing with Bolt, Thompson said, “It's a great feeling to know and it's also a motivation for me to be the best I can be.”

In the end, Thompson’s Olympic dream ended with one bad race. “Everything was perfect. It just wasn’t his day,” Lindsey said.

Despite not making the Olympics this year, Agyapong, Khan and Thompson are heroes to many.

In their honor, Pennington Bagel is featuring the AMK Bagel, which is described by Khan as a “healthy 9-grain bagel with a chicken breast, gouda cheese, craisins, avocado, lettuce and tomato.”

And on Saturday (July 14), in recognition of the three, AMK International hosted the Mercer County Community Track and Field Olympic Festival at TCNJ.