Family will see Manzano's dream come true
DALIAN, China (Reuters) - The parents of American runner Leonel Manzano have never boarded a plane or seen an ocean but that will soon change with a trip to the Beijing Games.
Jesus and Maria Manzano are traveling to the Summer Games to see Leonel, a U.S. 1,500 meters runner, compete in his first Olympics.
The elder Manzanos moved to the United States from Mexico nearly two decades ago when Leonel was four years old and have lived quietly in Texas ever since.
"I talked to (my mother) this morning and (she said) it was like, 'I really can't believe this. It is almost like a dream,'" the 23-year-old Manzano told reporters at the U.S. training camp in Dalian.
"My mom gets car sick so I am kind of worried," Manzano said of the long flight that will bring his parents and a brother to the Games.
The generosity of Manzano's father's employer in Marble Falls, Texas, is helping make the trip possible, Manzano said.
"Every time I step of the line, I think about people back home, and my family back in Mexico," Manzano said.
Conditions were not always easy in either country, said Manzano. Now he is a U.S. citizen, an American collegiate champion and one of the United States' top 1,500 meters runners.
"This is truly the American dream, or pretty close to it," Manzano said. "If I make it to the Olympic final, it is going to be awesome."
Manzano and his U.S. 1,500 meters team mates have come together at the Games to share a unity that goes beyond putting on an American vest: None was born in the United States.
Two-time Olympic medalist Bernard Lagat represented Kenya in the past two Games before becoming an American citizen.
Sudanese-born Lopez Lomong literally ran for his life as a youth to escape the violence of his country, living in a refugee camp for 10 years before coming to live in the United States with a foster family.
Now all three will represent the United States with world 1,500 and 5,000 meters champion Lagat among the favorites for the 1,500m gold.
(Editing by Steve Ginsburg)
