My Olympic Journey: From Fan, to Family Member, Agent and Agency

Most athletes have an Olympic dream or journey. I like to say that every coach, fan, administrator, volunteer and in my case fan and agent, also has an Olympic journey. We should always remember that it is the Olympians and Olympic hopefuls who are at the core of giving us these experiences and stories that make up our most memorable Olympic moments. After 25 days in the beautiful city of Paris (luckily my wife and kids joined me for about 15 of these days), I am fortunate to reflect on my own decades long Olympic journey: as a fan, family member, supporter, and now as an agent.

My Olympic journey began over 30 years ago when I tuned in for my very first Games. The iconic torch lighting as part of the Opening Ceremony in Barcelona in 1992. It is my first Olympic memory. Of course, this was also the year of the Dream Team, and the amazing USA gymnastics team, so I watched highlights of games and competitions beyond the Opening Ceremonies. Four years later, in 1996, my brother Meb had a realistic chance at pursuing the Olympic Games in Atlanta, as he was beginning his rise in running while competing for UCLA . At that time, I really began to feel the allure of the Olympics- the pinnacle of sport. The Olympics were in Atlanta that year, and I truly loved watching the Olympic events, especially track and field, and the amazing life stories that NBC shared about the athlete journeys to the Olympics. 

As a sophomore in high school, I recall thinking and probably assuming that being in the Olympics meant that you would be financially set for life, and by extension, my rationale was that if Meb made the Olympics, WE would be set for life. At this time, my family had been in the USA for less than 10 years, and while my older siblings were in college, the rest of our family lived in a small 3-bedroom apartment in a low-income housing complex in San Diego. I hoped that Meb's athletic accomplishments and potential would lift us from our current financial status. I didn’t share that expectation or hope with Meb, but I definitely held that hope in my heart. And sometimes, even if the hope is not 100% realistic, the audacity of hope and the possibility of progress makes dreams and new realities worth pursuing wholeheartedly.

When Meb made his first Olympic team in 2000, I was a sophomore at UCLA, and it was the first time I would have the opportunity to witness the Olympics in person. During those Games, Budweiser had a program to pay for family members of Olympians who would otherwise not be able to afford travel and accommodations to attend. With thanks for their support, my parents were able to watch Meb in his first Olympics in Sydney, Australia. I would be remiss if I did not mention my own supporters who helped get me there. My close friend Mike Vu, and his close friend Shinu paid for my flight to watch my big brother run in the Olympic Games. They were working in Sydney during the Olympics, and they couldn’t imagine me not being there to watch my brother compete at the Olympics. I guess you can say they were my first Olympic sponsors.  My oldest brother Fitsum, who had recently started working as an electrical engineer at National Semiconductor, now Texas Instruments, was able to pay his own way. Our great family friend and my amazing mentor Ron Lebow joined us in Sydney also.

At that time, I assumed everyone who went to the Olympics went to watch a family member or friend (as that was my reality). When we were watching Meb in the 10k prelims, we had shirts on that said "Let's Go Meb"  and everyone in our section was fascinated that we actually knew an Olympian. From the simple connection of sitting near us in the stadium, in very short order, everyone in our section also became fans of Meb. Every time he ran past us, we all began chanting “Let’s Go Meb!” At that point, I learned a lesson that has been helpful throughout my career as an agent: people just want or maybe NEED someone to cheer for. It doesn’t take a lot to have someone become a fan, and it is usually not based purely on their personal bests or likelihood they will win a medal. It is more about the connection that we feel with an athlete and the athlete’s journey that makes us fans.

At the 2000 Olympics, my family spent a lot of time with the Eritrean community in Sydney and celebrating the first time that Eritrea had an Olympic team. I gained a lot of respect and admiration for the athletes and administrators who were pioneers in Eritrea’s Olympic movement. I still believe there are hundreds and maybe thousands of unidentified or unsupported "Mebs" living in Eritrea, and it has and will always be a goal of mine to help identify and develop these athletes.

I was in law school for the 2004 Olympics. My family once again wanted to travel to watch Meb run the Olympics in Athens and now had the financial resources to do so. However, due to these being the first Olympic Games post-9/11, Meb requested we stay home for our own safety. He knew that Team USA would have the best security available for its athletes, but he knew he would be concerned about our safety if we were to go. This may seem like an overreaction now, but it was a serious and reasonable concern at that time. As much as we wanted to disobey Meb’s request and surprise him in Athens, we respected and complied with his wishes. This was a business trip for Meb, and he wanted to secure a medal. So we stayed in the USA and attended the wedding of our good family friend Fessehai and Shewit in Santa Rosa. The broadcast of the Olympic Marathon was live on the east coast, but on tape delay on the west coast. Due to this, we were on the phone with a friend on the east coast who was giving us a play-by-play during Meb’s race, almost like we were all listening on the radio. Towards the end of the race, our friend did not want to spoil it for us and suggested we watch the remainder of the race unfold on the tape delay, but he promised it was going to be good news. We were unable to contain our excitement of the moment and ended up calling another friend to please fill us in. So over the phone, and live before Facetime, we learned that Meb won an Olympic Silver Medal. As soon as we found that out, the tape delayed broadcast started on the west coast, and we were able to watch the race on TV knowing the results. But we had to see it on TV to believe it really happened! 

That Olympic Silver medal was a game changer for Meb, and in retrospect, for me. I did not know it at the time, but that would be another spark for what would eventually become HAWI Management . At that time, I was just getting ready to start my second year at the University of California, Los Angeles - School of Law , finishing up a study abroad program in International Sports and Entertainment law at Cambridge University. Up to that point, I was preparing to be an agent for basketball players, after an amazing experience as a student-manager for the UCLA Men's Basketball team. When Meb won the Silver Medal, and started looking for a US based agent, I started helping him navigate this decision. As we went through this process, I took a pivot from my hoop (representation) dreams and started thinking about representing my older brother Meb. After a few months of discussions, weighing the pros and cons and some heart-to-heart conversations, Meb took a leap of faith in me and hired me in the spring of 2005, as I was finishing up my second year in law school. Excited about having the opportunity to represent Meb and build on the momentum of his Olympic Silver Medal and his runner-up finish at the New York City Marathon in 2004, I considered taking a year off from law school to create and pursue opportunities for Meb. But Meb and new client Jon Rankin encouraged (forced) me to finish my third year in law school without taking a year off and let me know that they would be patient with me as I balanced my new job as an agent with being a full-time law school student.  

For the first 8 years of HAWI Management, Meb was not only the agency's first client, but he also generated 90% of the revenue for my agency. During that window of time, I was not concerned about building my agency as much as I was interested in building Meb’s business and brand. While I was in my 3rd year of law school, I worked with Don Franken to secure a MasterCard commercial for Meb that paid him just as much as his Nike deal, for 2-3 days of filming. Don and I split the commission, but I made sure Meb didn’t have to pay a higher commission for having two agencies working for him, which meant a much smaller commission for me. But I had little overhead at that time, and I was happy to collaborate with others to generate revenue and opportunities for Meb and other clients. I still have that philosophy today. 

In 2007, we were very hopeful that Meb would finally win his first marathon after so many podium finishes from 2004 to 2006:

2004 Olympic Trials- Silver

2004 Olympic Games- Silver

2004 NYC Marathon – Silver

2005 NYC Marathon – Bronze

2006 Boston Marathon – Bronze

(Side note, when the World Marathon Majors launched in 2006, one of its goals was to reward the most consistent elite performers at their events such as Meb, and Meb was at the featured athlete at the launch event)

At the 2008 Olympic Trials, which were held in conjunction with the 2007 NYC Marathon weekend, I expected Meb to make the Olympic team, and possibly win his first marathon. But victories and podium positions aren’t given out based on personal bests and previous accomplishments, so I learned an important lesson: There’s a reason there is a race to determine the results…because anything can happen in competition. There are likely results, but the likely results rarely become the actual results, especially in the marathon. That is the beauty and reality of competition.

The 2008 Olympics in Beijing would be the only one Meb would not make during his professional running career, spanning from 1998 to 2017. So when Meb had a rough patch in results and injuries in 2007 and 2008, a big part of the revenue for HAWI Management was impacted. After going through my savings earned during the good years, I needed to get a full-time job in order to support myself financially. For 6 months, I worked as an entry level administrator for a San Diego based online University, while still juggling my athlete management business. It was humbling to have a law degree but work an entry level job, but that was my reality and that of many others during the financial crisis of 2008. Sometimes, you have to take a step back to take a leap forward. I loved the people I worked with at Ashford University , but that job was not for me. It did not play to my strengths, and it probably exposed my weaknesses. I was amazed at how quickly, efficiently and effectively my colleagues at Ashford, most of whom were recent college grads, could process transcripts to determine a student’s eligibility. After my 6 months stint at Ashford, I was even more invested in building HAWI Management, and friends like Robert Hill PMP, MBA MPA and John Elliott and many others were willing to support me in different ways. One thing I’ve had on my journey is a lot of great friends and mentors encouraging me along the way.  

Four months after I left my full-time job at Ashford, Meb had another break-through that would give me and him another opportunity to maximize. After the challenges of the previous two years, Meb came back to not only medal, but to win the 2009 NYC Marathon. Sometimes, a setback is a setup for a comeback! But most times, we don't realize this DURING the setback!

The world works in mysterious ways, as this would be one of the turning points in Meb’s career and mine. Meb didn’t make the 2008 Olympics, but he made 2009 his Olympic year. A lot of times, my experiences and lessons from Meb’s journey are great learning opportunities for my other clients. For example, just in the last few weeks, I told a client who didn’t make the 2024 Olympic team, "Let’s make 2025 your Olympic Year since 4 years is too long to wait."

At the 2012 Olympics, as an agency, we were thrilled when Meb won those Trials and earned his place on Team USA for London. My Olympic journey had now gone from fan to family member and supporter to agent of an Olympian. Since Meb had missed making the 2008 Olympics, the 2012 Olympics and Olympic Trials victory were very special. Thinking this would be his last Olympic Games, with an anticipated retirement in 2013, 50 family members and friends flew out to London to celebrate Meb’s Olympic journey. In one of Meb’s most amazing marathon races, he went from 21st at the halfway point to finish 4th. We were all proud of Meb’s grit and performance. He might have been the happiest 4th place finisher ever even though his body was beat up!

As you can tell, Meb is a big part of my journey. He is my older brother, first client, longest standing client and the reason that HAWI Management exists in the first place. I am also grateful to Meb's wife, Yordanos Asgedom, who has always been supportive of HAWI Management and has been a great partner on Team Meb.

2016 Olympics in Rio

From one HAWI Management Olympian in 2012, we had 5 in 2016 (Meb, Brenda Martinez , Boris Berian, Alexi Pappas and Katie Zaferes (triathlon)). The amazing Leo Manzano just barely missed making the Olympic team when he finished 4th in the 1500m, after a 10 year streak of finishing in the top 3 at the National Championships.

2020 Olympics in Tokyo postponed to 2021

The decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympics was the right decision. It was amazing that the Olympics were even held in 2021. It was the bubble Olympics, so I didn’t attend. But we had 11 athletes compete in Tokyo. Our agency also fought hard to have Aliphine Tuliamuck’s infant daughter (Zoe) join her in Tokyo. USATF and USOPC were very helpful with the process, but the Local Organizing Committee in Japan was initially resistant to giving Zoe a visa to enter Japan. After exploring all options, Team Aliphine wrote a letter to IOC President Thomas Bach. Eventually a solution was worked out and 5-month old Zoe was able to join her parents Aliphine and Tim in Tokyo. This was a huge victory for all of us!

2024 Paris Olympics

In the last 19 years, our agency has grown from one client to over 50. With each Olympic cycle, the number of Olympians and countries they represent is increasing. This year, we had 19 Olympians from 10 different countries. This is also the first Olympic Games I have attended without Meb. I would not be where I am if it were not for Meb taking a leap of faith on me 19 years ago. I am honored by the dozens of athletes who have since trusted me and my team to represent them in their professional athletic careers and the life long friendships we've developed along the way. 

HAWI Management is now becoming a truly global agency, and that trajectory is the plan as we look ahead to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, the city where my agency was born in 2005. I am particularly excited about this upcoming Olympic cycle and will be sharing more of my journey, my team’s journey and most importantly our clients’ journeys along the way.  All of this to say, the Olympic journey is shared by so many, and I am forever thankful to everyone who has been part of mine. There are too many to thank on this particular platform, but I hope to acknowledge everyone that’s made an impact on my journey throughout the remainder of my journey ahead. But at this time, I’d like to thank my family, both immediate and extended, for the unconditional love and support, especially my wife Mikal, my parents, my siblings and my children (Senai and Misgana). 

HAWI is not only my nickname, but it also stands for Handling Adversity With Integrity. It is not just an agency name for me; it signifies something more meaningful: it is a reminder and a way of thinking and living. We are all going to encounter challenges in life (whether personal, business, athletic, financial or otherwise), and how we handle these challenges is what is important.

There is a whole team of difference makers around me at HAWI Management. With thanks to John Hricay (my partner in this venture since 2015 and who envisioned where HAWI Management is today, when we only had a handful of clients). And we wouldn’t be where we are without the significant contributions by Samantha Hanson, Dominic Demeritte OLY, Leo Manzano, Per Synnerman, Bob Babbitt, Erin Bailey, Daniel Gidey, Beraki Beyene, Michael Proulx, and Aaron Cattell. Thanks to Liam Fayle (he/him) and Zaakiyah Brisker who are no longer at HAWI Management but will always be part of the HAWI Management circle. In addition to our amazing clients, I’d like to thank the amazing coaches, spouses and partners of our clients who help the athletes on a day-to-day basis to be the best they can be. Over the coming months and years, we’ll also highlight amazing brand and event partners and representatives who support and sponsor our clients along these Olympic journeys and the important years in between. I invite you to help me and my team find ways to support these Olympians and Olympic hopefuls. Join us on the journey to LA 2028! Let’s create new Olympic memories together! The Olympic Marathon Journey Continues.