Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi is the winner of the 2014 Boston Marathon. He and his family came to the United States after fleeing their native country of Eritrea to escape a violent war with Ethiopia; Meb became a U.S. citizen in 1998. His unexpected athletic and academic successes earned him a full scholarship to UCLA, where he won four NCAA titles in one year and earned his BA in communication studies with a specialization in business. He is an Olympic silver medalist (Athens 2004) and a three-time national champion in cross country running (2001, 2002, and 2009). He came back from an injury to win the 2009 New York City Marathon prior to winning Boston. He lives in California with his wife, Yordanos, and their three daughters, Sara, Fiyori, and Yohana.