| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Ethiopia | ||
| Men's athletics | ||
| All-Africa Games | ||
 | 2011 Maputo | Half marathon |
Bekana Daba (born 29 July 1988 in Welega, Oromia Region) is an Ethiopian long distance runner who specialises in the 5000 metres and marathon distances.
He was selected to compete at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics but he finished eleventh in his heat and did not make the final. [1] He won the Carlsbad 5000 in his first ever 5 km road race, beating Abreham Cherkos in a time of 13:19. [2] At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, he finished sixth in his 5000 m heat, however he just didn't make the final, losing out to Chakir Boujattaoui. Running at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon, he set a Nevada state record of 1:01:40 on the way to victory. [3]
He ran in the 2010 New York City Half Marathon and set a personal best of 1:01:23 for fourth place. [4] He began to work towards a step up to the marathon distance at the end of the year and won at the inaugural Ethiopian Clubs Cross Country Championships as part of his preparations, defeating marathon runner Feyisa Lilesa. [5] He ran at the 2010 Amsterdam Marathon and finished in twelfth with a time of 2:14:40. [6]
He was much more successful on his second attempt at the distance as he broke the course record to win the Houston Marathon in January 2011, running a Texas state record of 2:07:04 hours to finish four minutes ahead of the competition. The mark was achieved in spite of the rainy conditions and his lead was so significant that in the final stages of the race he decided to stop at a nearby portable toilet for a bathroom break. [7] [8] At the 2011 Chicago Marathon he ran a time of 2:07:59 hours for fourth place behind a Kenyan trio. [9] In his first race of 2012, he failed to finish at the Lake Biwa Marathon. [10]
Hailu Mekonnen is an Ethiopian runner, who specializes in the 5000 metres and cross-country running.
Bernard Kiprop Kipyego is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon. His personal best for the event is 2:06:22 hours. He has reached the podium at the Amsterdam Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Boston Marathon, Paris Marathon and Tokyo Marathon.
Tadese Tola is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He has represented Ethiopia at World championship level in cross country, road running, and on the track.
Ashu Kasim Rabo is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specialises in the half marathon and marathon events. Her personal bests are 68:56 minutes and 2:23:09 hours, respectively.
Takayuki Matsumiya is a Japanese long-distance runner who specializes in marathon races. He holds the Asian record and Japanese record over 25 km and 30 km. He has a twin brother, Yuko, who is also a top-level marathon runner.
Aheza Kiros is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specializes in the 10,000 metres.
Genzebe Dibaba Keneni is an Ethiopian middle- and long-distance runner. A 1,500 metres 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist, she won a gold medal in this event and a bronze in the 5,000 metres at the 2015 World Championships. Genzebe is the current world record holder for the indoor events of the one mile, 3,000m and 5,000m.
Yemane Adhane Tsegay is an Ethiopian long distance runner who specialises in the marathon. He won the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon with a personal best time of 2:04:48 hours. He has also won marathons in Eindhoven, Gyeongju, Macau and Taipei.
Masakazu Fujiwara, in Japanese 藤原正和, is Japanese long-distance runner, who specializes in the marathon. He has a personal best of 2:08:12 hours for the event. He was the 2013 Japanese champion in the marathon and won the 2010 Tokyo Marathon. He trains at Honda Sports team.
Nicholas Manza Kamakya is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in road running events, including marathons.
Bazu Worku is a long-distance runner from Ethiopia who competes in marathon races.
Yacob Jarso Kintra is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner and former steeplechaser. He has represented Ethiopia at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2009 World Championships in Athletics.
Merima Mohammed Hasen is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner who competes in road running events, including the marathon. Her personal best of 2:23:06 hours for the distance makes her the second fastest teenager ever over the 42.195 kilometres (26.219 mi) distance. She has won marathons in Düsseldorf, Nice and Ottawa. She represented Ethiopia at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2011.
Tejitu Daba Chalchissa is an Ethiopian-born long-distance runner who competes internationally for Bahrain. She competes mainly in cross country and track running events. She won the gold medal over 5000 metres at the 2011 Asian Athletics Championships.
Dejen Gebremeskel is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who primarily competes in track events. His personal best of 12:46.81 minutes for the 5,000 metres ranks him as the fifteenth fastest of all time for the distance. He was the 5,000 m silver medallist at the 2012 London Olympics and took the bronze medal over that distance at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics.
Tariku Jufar is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in marathon races. He has won the Beijing, Beirut and Houston Marathons and has had top-three finishes in Istanbul, Mumbai, Los Angeles, Lake Biwa and Hamburg. His personal best for the distance is 2:06:51 hours.
Atsushi Sato is a Japanese long-distance runner who competes in marathon races. He is the Asian record holder in the half marathon with his time of 60:25 minutes. His marathon best of 2:07:13 hours is the fourth fastest by a Japanese athlete. He is married to Miho Sato, who was a 2004 Japanese Olympian.
Meskerem Assefa Legesse Wondimagegn is an Ethiopian middle- and long-distance runner. She represented Ethiopia at the 2008 and 2012 London Olympics. She has personal bests including 4:02.12 minutes for the 1500 metres, 8:46.37 minutes for the 3000 metres and 2:25:11 hours for the marathon.
Samuel Ndungu Wanjiku is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in the 10,000 metres and road running events. He has a half marathon best of 60:55 minutes and a marathon best of 2:07:04 hours. A Japan-based runner, he has won the Lake Biwa Marathon, the Marugame Half Marathon, and was the 2010 Japanese Corporate champion the half marathon.
John Chepkwony Kipkoech is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in the 5000 metres. He represented Kenya in the event at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics. He was a silver medallist at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics and a junior team gold medallist at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. His personal best of 12:49.50 minutes ranks him in the top twenty all-time runners for the 5000 m.
