J.A. Rice BostonNOW Correspondent
The 2001 English High graduate collected some of the fastest 800-meter times in state history before becoming a three-time SEC Champion at the
"Here's a good line: This is my first time ever racing at Reggie Lewis as a pro athlete," Ahmed during a Wednesday morning telephone interview. "It's kind of a dream come true. I always worked hard at Reggie Lewis, that was first track I saw, indoor or outdoors, in my life.
"I cannot be any happier, I don't care if I do good or bad. It's home field advantage, you know, I gotta represent."
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| Ahmed has only been a pro for about a year, and on Monday he scored a second-place finish in the |
"Whatever it takes," he said. "I'm ready for it."
Moving to Boston from Somalia in 1995, it never occurred to Ahmed that English High's track - sandwiched between Washington Street and the hulking brick school building in Jamaica Plain - leaves much to be desired.
"I was dedicated, I had a good family behind me, I had good coaches behind me," the 25-year-old said. "It was all hard work. I didn't even look at English High's facilities, what we have, what we didn't have. What I wanted to do was become somebody.
"Boston Public Schools have so much talent, not just me, there's so many more out there. I got to just tell them, keep on going."