 Hayle Ibrahimov at the2012 Summer Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Azerbaijani |
| Born | (1990-01-18)18 January 1990 (age 35) Mekele,Ethiopia |
| Height | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)[1] |
| Weight | 63 kg (139 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Track and field |
| Event(s) | 1500 metres,3000 metres,5000 metres |
Hayle Ibrahimov (Amharic:ቀዳማዊ ደስታ ሃጎስ –Haile Desta Hagos; born 18 January 1990) is an Ethiopian-born Azerbaijani internationalmiddle andlong distancetrack and field athlete, mainly competing in the disciplines of3000 metres and5000 metres.[2] He holds theAzerbaijani records in both these events.
Ibrahimov was the winner of the 3000 m at theEuropean Athletics Indoor Championships in 2013, having been the silver medallist two years earlier. His bronze in the 5000 m2010 European Athletics Championships was Azerbaijan's first medal in the history of that tournament. He represented his country at the2012 London Olympics.
He was born inMek'ele in Ethiopia'sTigray Region.[3] As a teenager he completed atransfer of allegiance to compete for Azerbaijan from 2009 onwards. In his first year for his new country he setAzerbaijani records in the3000 metres (7:51.68 min) and the5000 metres (13:53.60 min), as well as national junior records in events from 1500 m to 10,000 m. Ibrahimov secured his first national title over 5000 m and took a 5000 and 10,000 m gold medal double at the2009 European Athletics Junior Championships.[4][5] He was a nominee in the men'sEuropean Athletics Rising Star of the Year Award for his achievements in 2009.[6]
At the2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships he ran in the heats and although he was eliminated in the 3000 m heats he managed a national indoor record of 8:05.43 minutes.[7] On 31 July 2010, he became Azerbaijan's first ever medallist in theathletics by winning bronze at2010 European Athletics Championships inBarcelona.[8][9] He ran anAzerbaijani indoor record in the3000 metres at theBW-Bank Meeting in February 2011, setting a time of 7:42.54 minutes.[10]
On 5 March 2011, he won silver in the 3000 metres at theEuropean Indoor Championships, narrowly losing toMo Farah.[11][12] He was the favourite entering the 5000 m at the2011 European Athletics U23 Championships, but failed to finish the event due to an injury that ruled him out for most of the season. He ran in the heats of the event at the2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships, but did not progress to the final. Later that year he ran in the 5000 m at2012 European Athletics Championships (where he came sixth) and at the2012 London Olympics, managing ninth place. At September'sPalio Citta della Quercia he ran a meet record and Azerbaijani best of 13:11.34 minutes for the 5000 m.[13] He also came eighth in the under-23 section of the2012 European Cross Country Championships that year.
At the start of 2013 he improved his indoor national record three times, culminating in a run of 7:39.59 minutes at theXL Galan. On 2 March 2013, he won gold in the 3000 metres at theEuropean Indoor Championships.[14] Another national record came at theDoha Diamond League meeting in May, where he ran 7:34.57 minutes for the 3000 metres.[15] In 2013 he won the gold medal at the Universiade, with a new Games record, a title he defended in 2015.[16][14]
He won the silver medal in the 5000 m at the2014 European Championships.[14] In 2016, he again represented Azerbaijan at theOlympics.[17]
| Distance | Time (min) | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 m | 3:44.76 | Baku, Azerbaijan | 28 June 2009 |
| 3000 m | 7:34.57 | Doha Diamond League | 10 May 2013 |
| 5000 m | 13:09.17 | Zürich Diamond League | 28 August 2014 |
| 10,000 m | 30:06.64 | European Junior Championships | 23 July 2009 |
| 3000 m (indoor) | 7:39.59 | XL Galan | 21 February 2013 |
