 2024 Summer Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Citizenship | Israeli |
| Born | (1996-08-22)22 August 1996 (age 29) Gojam, Ethiopia |
| Home town | Jaffa, Israel |
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Israel |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | Long-distance running |
| Club | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbest(s) | Marathon: 2:04:53 (Sevilla) 2024 (NR) 10,000 metres: 27:49.88 (London) 2022 (NR) |
Medal record | |
Gashau Ayale (Hebrew:גשאו איילה; born 22 August 1996) is an Israelilong-distance runner.[1] In May 2022, Ayale set an Israeli record in the10,000 metres, running 27:49.88. He won the bronze medal in themarathon at theEuropean Athletics Championships, and a gold medal in the 2022 teamEuropean Marathon Cup. In February 2024, he won a bronze medal at theSeville Marathon with a time of 2:04:53, setting a new Israeli record. Ayale representedIsrael at the 2024 Paris Olympics in theMen's marathon, and came in 31st.
Ayale was born in the village ofGojam inEthiopia to Tabak (his father) and Tesfia (his mother), and isJewish.[2] He was born into theBeta Israel ethno-religious community of Ethiopian Jews. Fellow Israeli long-distance runner and Ethiopian JewGirmaw Amare was born in the same area nine years prior. At two years of age he and his family moved toGondar, Ethiopia.[2]
Ayaleimmigrated to Israel in 2010, at 13 years of age, with his parents and five brothers.[2][3] They initially lived in a reception center inSafed, Israel, and then later the family moved toJaffa, Israel.[2] His father works as a cook, and his mother works as a cleaning lady.[2] He only began running at 18 years of age, as before that he was interested in soccer.[3] He trains withMaccabi Tel Aviv.[3]
On July 13, 2017, at the2017 Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem, Israel, in the5,000 metre race Ayale ran it in 14:46.25, winning asilver medal.[1]
On November 17, 2018, in the Hasharon10 km, he ran a 29:23, winning abronze medal.[1]
On January 4, 2019, Ayale won theTiberias 10 km in 29:37.[1]
On July 6, 2019, at the2019 European 10,000m Cup in London he ran a 28:50.47, winning a bronze medal.[1]
On July 24, 2019, at the Israeli Championships in Tel Aviv, Israel, in the1,500 metre race Ayale ran a 3:48.81, winning a silver medal.[1]
On July 25, 2019, at the Israeli Championships in the5,000 metre race Ayale ran a 14:09.82, winning a bronze medal.[1]
On September 18, 2020, Ayale won the Tel Aviv 15 km in a time of 44:36.[1]
On February 25, 2022, in the Tel AvivHalf Marathon, Ayale ran a 1:03:25 and won a silver medal.[1]
On April 26, 2022, at the Israeli 10,000m Championships in Tel Aviv he ran a 28:03.20, winning a silver medal.[1]
In May 2022, in the European Cup in London, Ayale set a national record in the10,000 metres, running 27:49.88 to become the first Israeli to break 28 minutes in the event.[4][3]
On August 15, 2022, Ayale won the bronze medal in themarathon at theEuropean Athletics Championships held inMunich, Germany, with a time of 2:10:29, directly behind fellow IsraeliMaru Teferi.[5][1] He was also a member of the gold medal team for Israel winning theEuropean Marathon Cup at the same competition.[6] He said, referring to theMunich massacre, "Fifty years after what happened here, winning a medal and waving the Israeli flag is just so sweet."[7]
On December 10, 2022, in the Tiberias Half Marathon, Ayale ran a 1:02:38 and won a silver medal.[1]
On June 10, 2023, Ayale won the Israeli League Cup 5,000 metre race in 13:47.78.[1]
On February 18, 2024, Ayale won a bronze medal at theSeville Marathon, inSevilla, Spain, with a time of 2:04:53, setting a new Israeli record as he broke his own national record by 40 seconds.[1] It was his first international marathon, and the second marathon in his life.[3] It was the 84th-fastest marathon of all time.[2]
In June 2024,Maru Teferi (fourth place; 1:01:07—seven seconds behind the winner), Ayale (seventh place; 1:01:28), andGirmaw Amare (ninth place) secured Team Israel's second-place finish in the team half marathon event in the2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, Italy.[8][9] A half marathon was run rather than a full marathon because of the proximity of the race to the Paris Olympics marathon.[9]
Ayale representedIsrael at the 2024 Paris Olympics in theMen's marathon.[3] He said: "It is a great honor for me to represent Israel, especially in this painful time for the people of Israel. I look forward to wearing the uniform of the Israeli national team and running through the streets of Paris with theIsraeli flag on my chest. I promise to do my very best to represent our country with honor."[3][10] He ran it in a time of 2:11:36 (asTamirat Tola of Ethiopia won in a time of 2:06:26), and came in 31st.[11]
In March 2025, Ayale became the first Israeli in history to break the 60 minutes barrier in thehalf marathon distance, setting a new Israeli record at theLisbon Half Marathon with a time of 59:59.[12]
Ayale has a younger brother, Yehuda Darba Ayala, who holds Israel's national U23 5,000 metres record.[4]
