Tomas Abyu (born 5 May 1978) is an Ethiopian-born Britishlong-distance runner.
Abyu grew up in theArsi region of Ethiopia, as a junior he trained withGezahegne Abera.[1] Abyu left Ethiopia where his father had been killed in the civil war.[2] He came to the United Kingdom as a political refugee and was given asylum in 2000, becoming a British citizen in 2005.[1]
Abyu made hismarathon debut in Manchester in October 2002, winning the event in 2:25:28.[3]Hetransferred allegiance in 2006 becoming eligible to represent Great Britain in athletics.
He improved to record a marathon personal best of 2:10:37, finishing second, at theDublin Marathon in Oct 2007.[4] The time was better thanBeijing Olympic British team qualifying time (2:12), but the Dublin Marathon was not a recognized event, so Abyu needed to meet the qualifying time at the 2008London Marathon.[1][2] Unfortunately he finished in a time of 2:15:49, placed 16th and the second Britain behindDan Robinson.[5]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing Great Britain | |||||
| 2006 | 2006 European Athletics Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 27th | Marathon | 2:20:45 |
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Loch Ness Marathon | Inverness, UK | 1st | Marathon | 2:20:59 |
| 2003 | Sheffield Marathon | Sheffield, UK | 1st | Marathon | 2:27:42 |
| 2006 | London Marathon | London, UK | 16th | Marathon | 2:15:50 |
| 2006 | Sheffield Half Marathon | Sheffield, UK | 1st | Half Marathon | 1:04:05 |
| 2006 | Great Cumbrian Run | Carlisle, UK | 1st | Half Marathon | 1:08:22 |
| 2006 | Windsor Half Marathon | Windsor, UK | 1st | Half Marathon | 1:06:27 |
| 2007 | Watford Half Marathon | Watford, UK | 1st | Half Marathon | 1:04:50 |
| 2007 | Four Villages Half Marathon | Helsby, UK | 1st | Half Marathon | 1:04:56 |
| 2007 | Great North Run | Newcastle upon Tyne, UK | 4th | Half Marathon | 1:02:50 (PB) |
| 2007 | Dublin Marathon | Dublin, Ireland | 2nd | Marathon | 2:10:37 (PB) |
| 2008 | London Marathon | London, UK | 16th | Marathon | 2:15:49 |
| 2008 | Four Villages Half Marathon | Helsby, UK | 1st | Half Marathon | 1:05:22 |
| 2009 | London Marathon | London, UK | 19th | Marathon | 2:20:09 |
| 2010 | Loch Ness Marathon | Inverness, UK | 1st | Marathon | 2:20:50 |
| 2011 | London Marathon | London, UK | 28th | Marathon | 2:21:25 |
| 2011 | Loch Ness Marathon | Inverness, UK | 1st | Marathon | 2:20:50 |
| 2011 | Windsor Half Marathon | Windsor, UK | 1st | Half Marathon | 1:10:05 |
| 2012 | Jersey Marathon | Jersey, UK | 1st | Marathon | 2:24:43 |
| 2014 | Loch Ness Marathon | Inverness, UK | 1st | Marathon | 2:22:41 |
