Kenenisa Bekele Beyecha[4] (Oromo:Qananiisaa baqqalaa;Amharic:ቀነኒሳ በቀለ; born 13 June 1982) is an Ethiopianlong-distance runner. He was the world record holder in both the5,000-metre and10,000-metre from 2004 until 2020. He won the gold medal in both the5,000 m and10,000 m events at the2008 Beijing Olympics. At the2004 Olympics, he won the gold medal in the10,000 m and the silver medal in the5,000 m.
He is the most successful runner in the history of theIAAF World Cross Country Championships, with six long (12 km) course and five short (4 km) course titles. He won the 10,000 m title at theWorld Championships in Athletics in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009 (matchingHaile Gebrselassie's four in a row win streak). Kenenisa was unbeaten over 10,000 m from his debut in 2003 until 2011, when he failed to finish at the World Championships final.
At the2009 World Championships in Athletics he became the first man to win both 5000 m and 10,000 m title at the same championships. Over 5000 m he has also won an Olympic silver (2004), World Championship bronze (2003), twoAfrican Championship titles and oneAll-Africa Games gold medal. He also won the3000 metres title at the2006 World Indoor Championships.
On 6 April 2014, he produced the sixth fastest marathon debut ever on a record-eligible course with his victory at theParis Marathon, in a course record time of 2:05:04. On 25 September 2016, Kenenisa won theBerlin Marathon in a time of 2:03:03, a new personal best, then the third-fastest marathon of all time. On 29 September 2019, he again won the Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:01:41, two seconds slower thanthe then world record of 2:01:39 set byEliud Kipchoge in the 2018 Berlin Marathon.[5] Considering his accomplishments in cross country, track, and road racing, many consider him to be the greatest distance runner of all time.[6][7][8]
Kenenisa Bekele was born in 1982 inBekoji in theArsi Zone ofOromia Region, the same town as several other prominent long-distance runners, including the Dibaba's Daughters (Ejegayehu,Tirunesh andGenzebe) and their cousinDerartu Tulu.[9] Kenenisa was born the second child to parents who made a living asbarley farmers, along with three brothers and two sisters.[10][11] The family practicedEthiopian Orthodox Christianity.[10]
Kenenisa initially aspired to a career in medicine, education, or the civil service.[12] He began to train seriously in running with the encouragement of a physical education teacher, while drawing inspiration from the success of Derartu Tulu andHaile Gebrselassie.[12] Kenenisa achieved his first medals at an international competition with second place finishes in both the 3000 metres of the1999 World Youth Championships and the 5000 metres of the2000 World Junior Championships.[13] He won his first gold medal in the junior race of the2001 World Cross Country Championships.[13][14] His success in running enabled him to purchase a house and to help fund his siblings' educations.[15]
In August 2001, Kenenisa set a3000 metresworld junior record by running 7:30.67 minutes inBrussels. The record lasted for three and a half years, being broken byAugustine Choge with a run of 7:28.78 minutes.[16] In December 2000 and 2001 Kenenisa won the 15k roadrace Montferland Run in the Netherlands.[17] For five years in a row, from 2002 (at the age of 19) through 2006, he took both short (4 km) and long (12 km) races at theIAAF World Cross Country Championships, a feat no other runner has accomplished even once.[18] After the IAAF eliminated the short course race in 2007, Kenenisa won a final long course race in 2008, bringing his World Cross Country medal totals to 11 senior individual gold medals (6 long course, 5 short course), 1 senior silver medal (2001), 1 junior gold medal (2001), 2 team gold medals (2004, 2005), 3 team silver medals (2002, 2003, & 2008), and 1 team bronze medal (2006) for a grand total of 19 medals.[17]
Kenenisa became known for his ability to accelerate very quickly at the end of a long-distance race; inOslo in June 2003, he chased afterKenyanAbraham Chebii and won the race in 12:52.26.[17] He has faced fellow Ethiopian,Haile Gebrselassie, twice in road competition, once in cross country, and six times on the track. Haile defeated Kenenisa on the track in the 2000 Nurnberg 5000 metres, the 2001Great Ethiopian Run 10 km, and theCross de l'Acier in December 2001, but lost to Kenenisa inHengelo 2003 over 10,000 m (26:53 to 26:54), Rome 2003 over 5000 m (12:57 to 13:00), Paris2003 World Championships over 10,000 m (26:49 to 26:50),Athens 2004 Olympic Games (27:05 to 27:27), in the 10,000 m in theBeijing 2008 Olympic Games (27:01 to 27:06), and in theGreat North Runhalf marathon in September 2013 (60:09 to 60:41).
In 2004, Kenenisa broke the world records for the indoor 5000 m, outdoor 5000 m and outdoor 10,000 m (both in a timeframe of 9 days).[19] He won the short and long course world cross country titles, leading Ethiopia to the senior men's team title. He also won a gold medal in the men's 10,000 metres and a silver medal in the men's 5000 metres in the 2004 Olympic Games inAthens.[20]
On 4 January 2005, Kenenisa's fiancée, 18-year-old Alem Techale, died of an apparent heart attack while on a training run with him. Although it was initially stated that noautopsy was performed, Alem's and Kenenisa's managerJos Hermens later said that an autopsy had revealed nothing conclusive about Techale's death. She was the2003 World Youth Champion in the1500 metres and in excellent physical condition.[21]
He resumed racing on 29 January, and lost indoors over 3000 m to Ireland'sAlistair Cragg after sprinting towards the line with one and a half laps to go, while thinking that there was only half a lap left.[22] A few weeks later he lost to fellow EthiopianMarkos Geneti overtwo miles.
In March, Kenenisa lined up to defend his long and short course titles at the2005 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. He won on the short course despite a fast pace set byQatariSaif Saaeed Shaheen, and followed that win with a long course victory the next day overEritreanZersenay Tadese and Kenyan rivalEliud Kipchoge.
On 8 August 2005, Kenenisa Bekele won thegold medal in the 10,000 m at the2005 World Championships in Helsinki with a last200 m spurt.[23] On 26 August 2005, Kenenisa set the10,000 m world record 26:17.53 at the 29thMemorial Van Damme meeting inBrussels, slicing nearly three seconds off his previous world record 26:20.31, and running with 5000 m splits of 13:09 and 13:08 minutes.[24] The race saw 6 runners finishing in less than 27 minutes, with Sammy Wanjiru dipping in 26:41.75, a new world junior record. At the end of 2005 Kenenisa was voted theTrack & Field News magazine athlete of the year for the second year in a row.[25]
When Kenenisa won the 3000 m at the2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships inMoscow, he became the first athlete in history to be Olympic champion, world outdoor track champion, world indoor track champion, and world cross country champion.[26] In 2006 he won five out of sixIAAF Golden League events (5000 m) in the same season, which earned him a total of US$83,333.[27]
On 17 February 2007, he broke the indoor world record over 2000 m inBirmingham, with a time of 4:49.99. His spectacular final 300 m aided this time which would be considered excellent even outdoors.[28] On 24 March 2007, however, his streak of 27 consecutive victories in cross country races (dating back to his last previous loss in December 2001) came to an end when after leading the race in the penultimate lap of the2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships inMombasa he succumbed to the very hot, humid conditions (which caused more than 1/6 of all competitors to drop out) and was passed by eventual winnerZersenay Tadese on the last lap before Kenenisa dropped out. This was greeted with cheers by the Kenyan crowds, an occurrence which has been frowned upon by the wider athletics community.[29]
He recovered from that rare failure to take the 10,000-metre title at the2007 IAAF World Championships inOsaka, once again besting his compatriotSileshi Sihine. During that race, he looked like he was going to be dropped several times over the last 800 metres, but recovered to overtake Sileshi with 150 metres to go and take his third straight world title.[30]
InEdinburgh on 30 March 2008, he won his sixth World Cross Country title (long course – 12k), breaking the three-way tie of 5 wins he had previously shared withPaul Tergat andJohn Ngugi. With this win, Kenenisa laid sole claim to most decorated athlete inIAAF World Cross Country Championships history. He has won 6 long course (12k) individual gold medals, 5 short course (4k) gold medals, 1 junior championship (8k), and 4 team gold medals for a sum total of 16 gold medals. His overall medal count (both individual and team results) stands at 27 medals: 16 gold, 9 silver and 2 bronze.[31]
On 17 August 2008 Kenenisa won gold in the 10,000m finals with a time of 27:01.17, setting a newOlympic Record in the process. In a race in which 20 men broke the 28-minute barrier and four finished under his 2004 Olympic record of 27:05.10, he needed his renowned finishing kick to pull out the victory, running a 53.42-second final 400 metres (similar to the 53.02-second final 400-metre sprint he used to win the gold medal in Athens in 2004 over the same distance).[32]
On 23 August 2008 Kenenisa bested his competitors and won the 5000-metre finals, shatteringSaïd Aouita's Olympic Record by almost eight seconds with a time of 12:57.82. The race was remarkable for his manner of doing most of the pacing himself before accelerating to a scintillating finish: his last 3000 metres only took 7:35.53, his final 2000 metres 4:56.97, last 1600 metres 3:57.01 (=3:58.4 final mile) and his final lap a punishing 53.87 seconds.[33] By winning the 10,000/5000m double in the Beijing Olympics, Kenenisa joined another elite group of athletes:Hannes Kolehmainen (1912),Emil Zátopek (1952),Vladimir Kuts (1956),Lasse Virén (twice, in 1972 and 1976) andMiruts Yifter (1980).[34]
Kenenisa Bekele won two gold medals at the2009 World Championships in Athletics, held in Berlin. His double victories in 5000m (13:17.09) and 10,000m (26:46.31 – a World Championships Record) were unprecedented and by doing this became the first man to take both the long-distance track gold medals at the same World Championships.[35] His talent combination of endurance and speed has made it nearly impossible to defeat Kenenisa when he is at full strength. During the 10,000m race in which he was running behind Eritrea's Zersenay Tadesse, the broadcaster declared "it is over, in fact it was over from the start" as the final lap began and Kenenisa turned an ostensibly close race into a blowout. The IAAF announcer concluded, "this man is probably the greatest distance runner we will ever see."[36]
In spite of his unrivalled success in athletics, Kenenisa did not experience the mainstream appeal that others such as Haile Gebrselassie did. His quiet demeanour and aversion to interviews did not make him a highly marketable athlete in theWestern world. Fellowworld record holderUsain Bolt stated that Kenenisa Bekele's achievements had not received the recognition that they deserved.[37]
Kenenisa made a disappointing start to 2010, finishing fourth in theEdinburgh Cross Country in a race he was favored to win – a trio of Kenyan athletes ran him out of the contest over the final lap. He spent the entirety of the indoor and outdoor seasons out with a ruptured calf muscle.[38]
Kenenisa Bekele finally returned to training after a knee injury in March 2011.[39] Having not raced on the track since 2009, Kenenisa returned for the World Championships.[40] He dropped out of the 10,000m with 10 laps remaining.[41] Kenenisa decided not to run the 5000 m and[42] returned to the Diamond League at theIvo Van Damme Memorial in Brussels where he set the fastest time in the world for the 10,000 metres in 2011.[43][44]
Kenenisa's 2012 season did not start well, as he was a lowly eleventh place at the Edinburgh Cross Country.[45] In April, he appeared to have returned to form by winning theGreat Ireland Run in a new personal best time for a 10 km road race of 27:49, improving the course record by 46 seconds.[46]
In the2012 London Olympics10,000m race he ran within the leading group for the whole race, but could not keep up with theMo Farah's sprint in the last 150 metres and eventually finished fourth, with a time of 27:32.44, just 1.01 second outside the bronze medalist, his brotherTariku.[47]
In his first race of 2013 he won the Great Ireland Run for a second time.[48]Kenenisa then won the Great North Run half marathon in a time of 60:09, beating Mo Farah by just one second after making a move that Farah couldn't match with just less than 12 miles gone.
Kenenisa Bekele started his marathon career in the2014 Paris Marathon on 6 April 2014. His marathon debut was very successful as he bettered both the Paris course record and the debut marathon times of past legends Haile Gebrselassie, Paul Tergat and Samuel Wanjiru by running 2:05:04 to win.[49] Kenenisa then went on to compete in the2014 Chicago Marathon on 12 October 2014. He finished fourth in 2:05:51, 1min 40s behind Kenya'sEliud Kipchoge.[50] On 23 January 2015, Kenenisa took on theDubai Marathon, where he had to retire from the race after 30 km.[51] He was planned to compete in the2015 London Marathon but had to withdraw due to a persistent injury to his rightAchilles tendon.[52]
Following 11 months of injury, Kenenisa returned to racing at the2016 London Marathon. Prior to the race he indicated he was only currently at 90% fitness. Kenenisa finished in 3rd place behind winner Eliud Kipchoge and runner-upStanley Biwott in a time of 2:06:36. This performance was despite the fact he only returned to jogging in early 2016 following injury and had only completed 6 weeks of specific marathon training. He was also hampered in the race by missing his drinks at 5 separate stations, due to them being used by the designated pacemakers.
On 24 April, he placed third at the2016 London Marathon with a time of two hours six minutes and 38 seconds. In September he won the2016 Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:03:03 which set a new personal best time for him at theMarathon distance and the second fastest marathon of all time.[53] On 19 January 2017, attempting to break the world record, Kenenisa dropped out of the Dubai Marathon after the half way mark due to a fall at the beginning of the race.[54] On 23 April 2017, Kenenisa finished second in theLondon Marathon, finishing in 2:05:57, 9 seconds behind winnerDaniel Wanjiru.[55]
Kenenisa's outstanding track career led to his involvement in a project to break the two-hour barrier for the marathon, though a number of factors undermined this effort.[56]
Kenenisa ran the 2018London Marathon in April and came in sixth place with a time of 2:08:53.[57] He also ran the Amsterdam marathon in October 2018 but dropped out due to injury with about 2 km to go.[58] Kenenisa won the2019 Berlin Marathon in September in 2:01:41, the second fastest time ever at the time and just two seconds off of the world record set byEliud Kipchoge on the same course the previous year. After the run he stated that he still believes that he can break the world record.[59]
Kenenisa won the London half marathon on 1 March 2020 in 60:22. He improved on the course record set byMo Farah in 2019 by 1:18.Chris Thompson came in second with 61:07, also within the former course record.[60][61] Kenenisa returned to theBerlin Marathon in September, where he placed third in 2:06:47. The race was won by his compatriotGuye Adola in 2:05:45, while Kenya'sBethwel Yegon finished second.[62] In November, he finished six at the2021 New York City Marathon with a time of 2:12:52.[2]
In September, he placed third at the Great North Run half marathon in a time of 1:01:01.[2] The next month, Kenenisa competed in the2022 London Marathon, finishing fifth in 2:05:53 to set a masters world record in age 40 group.[63] In April, he took part in the London Marathon but withdrew from the race after 25k mark. Then, in October, he announced on Instagram that he had departed from the NN running team and transitioned his sponsorship from Nike to Anta, a Chinese sports brand. In December, Kenenisa took part in the Valencia Marathon. Although he fell behind the leading group before reaching the 15 km mark, he managed to finish fourth in a M40 Master World Record with a time of 2:04:19. This achievement solidifies him as the first athlete aged over 40 to complete a marathon in sub 2:05 clocking.
The 41-year-old Kenenisa competed in theLondon Marathon on 21 April 2024, where he finished second behindAlexander Munyao breaking his own Masters record by 4 seconds running 2:04:15.[64]Kenenisa was selected to represent Ethiopia in themarathon at the2024 Summer Olympics. At 41 years of age, it was his fourth Olympic appearance and first time competing at the event since the 2012 London Olympics.[65] Kenenisa ended up finishing in 39th place with a time of 2:12:24[66]
On 18 November 2007, Kenenisa marriedEthiopian film actress Danawit Gebregziabher in Addis Ababa.[67] Kenenisa has one younger brother,Tariku Bekele, who is also an accomplished world-class distance runner.
| Type | Distance | Time (min) | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Track | 1500 m | 3:32.35 | 28 September 2007 | Shanghai, China | |
| Mile run indoors | 4:01.57 | 3 February 2006 | New York City, United States | ||
| 2000 m indoors | 4:49.99 | 17 February 2007 | Birmingham, United Kingdom | World best | |
| 3000 m | 7:25.79 | 7 August 2007 | Stockholm, Sweden | ||
| 3000 m indoors | 7:30.51 | 20 February 2007 | Stockholm, Sweden | ||
| Two miles | 8:13.51 | 26 May 2007 | Hengelo, Netherlands | ||
| Two miles indoors | 8:04.35 | 16 February 2008 | Birmingham, United Kingdom | African best | |
| 5000 m | 12:37.35 | 31 May 2004 | Hengelo, Netherlands | WR andAR until 14 August 2020, broken by Joshua Cheptegei NR until 30 May 2024, broken byHagos Gebrhiwet | |
| 5000 m indoors | 12:49.60 | 20 February 2004 | Birmingham, United Kingdom | WR until 14 February 2025, broken byGrant Fisher | |
| 10,000 m | 26:17.53 | 26 August 2005 | Brussels, Belgium | NR | |
| Road | 10 km | 27:49 | 15 April 2012 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| 15 km | 42:42 | 9 December 2001 | 's-Heerenberg, Netherlands | ||
| Half marathon | 1:00:22 | 1 March 2020 | London, United Kingdom | Big Half course record | |
| Marathon | 2:01:41 | 29 September 2019 | Berlin, Germany | NR | |
| 2:04:15 | 3 December 2023 | London, England | Masters world record (M 40 group) |
| Year | Best | Location | Date | World rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 12:55.79 | Paris | 6 July | 9th |
| 2009 | 12:52.32 | Zürich | 28 August | 1st |
| 2008 | 12:50.18 | Zürich | 29 August | 1st |
| 2007 | 12:49.53 | Zaragoza | 28 July | 1st |
| 2006 | 12:48.09 | Brussels | 25 August | 1st |
| 2005 | 12:40.18 | Paris | 1 July | 1st |
| 2004 | 12:37.35 | Hengelo | 31 May | 1st |
| 2003 | 12:52.26 | Oslo | 27 June | 3rd |
| 2002 | 13:26.58 | Milan | 5 June | 71st |
| 2001 | 13:13.33 | Seville | 8 June | 29th |
| 2000 | 13:20.57 | Rieti | 3 September | 53rd |
| Year | Best | Location | Date | World rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 27:02.59 | Birmingham | 22 June | 3rd |
| 2011 | 26:43.16 | Brussels | 16 September | 1st |
| 2009 | 26:46.31 | Berlin | 17 August | 1st |
| 2008 | 26:25.97 | Eugene | 8 June | 1st |
| 2007 | 26:46.19 | Brussels | 14 September | 1st |
| 2005 | 26:17.53 | Brussels | 26 August | 1st |
| 2004 | 26:20.31 | Ostrava | 8 June | 1st |
| 2003 | 26:49.57 | Paris | 25 August | 4th |
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing Ethiopia | |||||
| 1999 | World XC Championships | Belfast, United Kingdom | 9th | Junior race (8.012 km) | 26:27 |
| World Youth Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 2nd | 3000 m | 8:09.89 | |
| 2000 | World Junior Championships | Santiago, Chile | 2nd | 5000 m | 13:45.43 |
| 2001 | World XC Championships | Ostend, Belgium | 2nd | Short race (4.1 km) | 12:42 |
| 1st | Junior race (7.7 km) | 25:04 | |||
| 2002 | World XC Championships | Dublin, Ireland | 1st | Short race (4.208 km) | 12:11 |
| 1st | Long race (11.998 km) | 34:52 | |||
| 2003 | World XC Championships | Lausanne, Switzerland | 1st | Short race (4.03 km) | 11:01 |
| 1st | Long race (12.355 km) | 35:56 | |||
| World Championships in Athletics | Paris, France | 3rd | 5000 m | 12:53.12 | |
| 1st | 10,000 m | 26:49.57 | |||
| All-Africa Games | Abuja, Nigeria | 1st | 5000 m | 13:26.16 | |
| 2004 | World XC Championships | Brussels, Belgium | 1st | Short race (4 km) | 11:31 |
| 1st | Long race (12 km) | 35:52 | |||
| Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | 2nd | 5000 m | 13:14.59 | |
| 1st | 10,000 m | 27:05.10 | |||
| 2005 | World XC Championships | Saint-Galmier, France | 1st | Short race (4.196 km) | 11:33 |
| 1st | Long race (12.02 km) | 35:06 | |||
| World Championships in Athletics | Helsinki, Finland | 1st | 10,000 m | 27:08.33 | |
| 2006 | World Indoor Championships | Moscow, Russia | 1st | 3000 m | 7:39.32 |
| World XC Championships | Fukuoka, Japan | 1st | Short race (4 km) | 10:54 | |
| 1st | Long race (12 km) | 35:40 | |||
| African Championships | Bambous, Mauritius | 1st | 5000 m | 14:03.41 | |
| IAAF World Cup | Athens, Greece | 2nd | 3000 m | 7:36.25 | |
| 2007 | World XC Championships | Mombasa, Kenya | — | Senior race (12 km) | DNF |
| World Championships in Athletics | Osaka, Japan | 1st | 10,000 m | 27:05.90 | |
| 2008 | World XC Championships | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | 1st | Senior race (12 km) | 34:38 |
| African Championships | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | 1st | 5000 m | 13:49.67 | |
| Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 1st | 5000 m | 12:57.82 | |
| 1st | 10,000 m | 27:01.17 | |||
| 2009 | World Championships in Athletics | Berlin, Germany | 1st | 5000 m | 13:17.09 |
| 1st | 10,000 m | 26:46.31 | |||
| 2011 | World Championships in Athletics | Daegu, South Korea | — | 10,000 m | DNF |
| 2012 | Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 4th | 10,000 m | 27:32.44 |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 39th | Marathon | 2:12:24 |
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Paris Marathon | Paris, France | 1st | Marathon | 2:05:04 |
| Chicago Marathon | Chicago, United States | 4th | Marathon | 2:05:51 | |
| 2015 | Dubai Marathon | Dubai, UAE | DNF | Marathon | DNF |
| 2016 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 3rd | Marathon | 2:06:36 |
| Berlin Marathon | Berlin, Germany | 1st | Marathon | 2:03:03 | |
| 2017 | Dubai Marathon | Dubai, UAE | DNF | Marathon | DNF |
| London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 2nd | Marathon | 2:05:57 | |
| Berlin Marathon | Berlin, Germany | DNF | Marathon | DNF | |
| 2018 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 6th | Marathon | 2:08:53 |
| Amsterdam Marathon | Amsterdam, Netherlands | DNF | Marathon | DNF | |
| 2019 | Berlin Marathon | Berlin, Germany | 1st | Marathon | 2:01:41 |
| 2020 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | DNS | Marathon | DNS |
| 2021 | Berlin Marathon | Berlin, Germany | 3rd | Marathon | 2:06:47 |
| New York Marathon | New York, United States | 6th | Marathon | 2:12:52 | |
| 2022 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 5th | Marathon | 2:05:53 |
| 2023 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | DNF | Marathon | DNF |
| Valencia Marathon | Valencia, Spain | 4th | Marathon | 2:04:19 | |
| 2024 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 2nd | Marathon | 2:04:15MWR |
| Olympic Games | Paris, France | 39th | Marathon | 2:12:24 | |
| Valencia Marathon | Valencia, Spain | DNF | Marathon | DNF | |
| 2025 | New York City Marathon | New York, United States | DNF | Marathon |
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Grand Prix Final | Melbourne, Australia | 2nd | 3000 m | 7:54.39 |
| 2003 | World Athletics Final | Monaco, Monaco | 1st | 3000 m | 7:36.98 |
| 2006 | World Athletics Final | Stuttgart, Germany | 1st | 5000 m | 13:48.62 |
| 2009 | World Athletics Final | Thessaloniki, Greece | 1st | 3000 m | 8:03.79 |
| World Marathon Majors | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo Marathon | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Boston Marathon | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| London Marathon | – | – | 3rd | 2nd | 6th | – | DNS | – | 5th | DNF | 2nd |
| Berlin Marathon | – | – | 1st | DNF | – | 1st | – | 3rd | – | – | – |
| Chicago Marathon | 4th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| New York Marathon | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6th | – | – | – |
Me zedi.gmainet
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Men's 10,000 m World Record Holder 8 June 2004 – 7 October 2020 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Men's 5000 m World Record Holder 31 May 2004 – 14 August 2020 | Succeeded by |
| Awards and achievements | ||
| Preceded by | Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Year 2004–2005 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | Men's 5000 m Best Year Performance 2004–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Men's 10,000 m Best Year Performance 2004–2005 2007–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Men's 3000 m Best Year Performance 2007 | Succeeded by |
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World Indoor Champions in men's3000 metres | |
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African Champions in men's5000 metres | |
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Paris Marathon – men's winners | |
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Berlin Marathon – men's winners | |
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