Ethiopia at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Ethiopia at the 2012 Summer Olympics
IOC code	ETH
NOC	Ethiopian Olympic Committee
in London
Competitors	35 in 2 sports
Flag bearers	Yanet Seyoum (opening) Tirunesh Dibaba (closing)
Medals Ranked 23rd	Gold 3 Silver 3 Bronze 2 Total 8
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984–1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024

Ethiopia competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's twelfth appearance at the Olympics, having missed three occasions because of the African, Soviet, and North Korean boycott. The Ethiopian Olympic Committee sent a total of 35 athletes to the Games, 18 men and 17 women, to compete only in athletics, specifically in the middle and long-distance running events, and swimming, the nation's Olympic debut.

The Ethiopian team featured the defending Olympic champions, long-distance runners Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba. Among these champions, Dibaba managed to defend her Olympic title, in the women's 10,000 metres event. Another middle-distance runner Meseret Defar became the second Ethiopian female athlete to regain her title in the women's 5,000 metres event, ahead of her compatriot and defending champion Dibaba, who won only the bronze medal. Tiki Gelana became the second female Ethiopian to win the women's marathon after 16 years. Swimmer Yanet Seyoum was the nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony.

Ethiopia left London with a total of 7 medals (3 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze), sharing the same records with Beijing and Athens, respectively. One more medal was redistributed after the games ended due to doping cases. ^[1] All gold medals were received only by women for the first time in its history.

Medalists

Medal	Name	Sport	Event	Date
Gold	Tirunesh Dibaba	Athletics	Women's 10,000 m	3 August
Gold	Tiki Gelana	Athletics	Women's marathon	5 August
Gold	Meseret Defar	Athletics	Women's 5000 m	10 August
Silver	Sofia Assefa	Athletics	Women's 3000 m steeplechase	6 August
Silver	Dejen Gebremeskel	Athletics	Men's 5000 m	11 August
Silver	Abeba Aregawi	Athletics	Women's 1500 m	10 August
Bronze	Tariku Bekele	Athletics	Men's 10,000 m	4 August
Bronze	Tirunesh Dibaba	Athletics	Women's 5000 m	10 August

Athletics

Main article: Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Ethiopia selected a total of 33 athletes in the track and field after having achieved qualifying standards in their respective events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event at the 'A' Standard, and 1 at the 'B' Standard): ^{[2] [3]} Most of them were past Olympic medalists, All-African Games medalists, and winners from last year's world championships. Three of them were defending titleholders including middle-distance runners Kenenisa Bekele, Tirunesh Dibaba, and Meseret Defar.

Ethiopia has won a total of 7 medals, not only in the track and field, but also in the nation's medal standings. Among the defending champions, Dibaba managed to defend her Olympic title only in the women's 10,000 m. Her compatriot, Meseret Defar, however, regained her Olympic title after eight years in Athens, finishing ahead of Dibaba, who was also the defending champion in Beijing. ^[4] In the men's events, two-time Olympic champion, Kenenisa Bekele, however, did not win an Olympic medal for the first time, when his brother Tariku Bekele edged him out of the podium to claim the bronze medal. ^[5]

In the women's marathon, Tiki Gelana became the first Ethiopian to win the gold medal since 1996, despite falling behind the other runners during the midway of the race. ^[6]

Men

Athlete	Event	Heat		Semifinal		Final
		Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank
Ayele Abshero	Marathon	—				DNF
Yenew Alamirew	5000 m	13:15.39	2 Q	—		13:49.68	12
Mohammed Aman	800 m	1:47.34	1 Q	1:44.34	1 Q	1:43.20	6
Kenenisa Bekele	10000 m	—				27:32.44	4
Tariku Bekele		—				27:31.43
Bereket Desta	400 m	47.40	7	Did not advance
Getu Feleke	Marathon	—				DNF
Roba Gari	3000 m steeplechase	8:20.68	1 Q	—		8:20.00	4
Gebregziabher Gebremariam	10000 m	—				27:36.34	8
Mekonnen Gebremedhin	1500 m	3:36.56	2 Q	3:42.90	4 Q	3:35.44	6
Dejen Gebremeskel	5000 m	13:15.15	1 Q	—		13:41.98
Hagos Gebrhiwet		13:26.16	5 Q	—		13:49.59	11
Birhan Getahun	3000 m steeplechase	DNF		—		Did not advance
Nahom Mesfin		8:18.16	5 q	—		8:35.12	12
Dino Sefer	Marathon	—				DNF
Dawit Wolde	1500 m	3:41.81	10	Did not advance
Aman Wote	1500 m	3:41.67	8	Did not advance

Women

Athlete	Event	Heat		Semifinal		Final
		Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank
Abeba Aregawi	1500 m	4:04.55	1 Q	4:01.03	1 Q	4:11.03
Meskerem Assefa		4:15.52	9	Did not advance
Sofia Assefa	3000 m steeplechase	9:25.42	1 Q	—		9:09.84
Hiwot Ayalew		9:24.01	1 Q	—		9:12.98	5
Gelete Burka	5000 m	15:01.44	1 Q	—		15:10.66	5
Meseret Defar		14:58.70	2 Q	—		15:04.25
Genzebe Dibaba	1500 m	4:11.15	10	Did not advance
Mare Dibaba	Marathon	—				2:28:48	23
Tirunesh Dibaba	5000 m	14:58.48	1 Q	—		15:05.15
	10000 m	—				30:20.75
Etenesh Diro	3000 m steeplechase	9:25.31	2 Q	—		9:19.89	6
Tiki Gelana	Marathon	—				2:23:07
Werknesh Kidane	10000 m	—				30:39.38	4
Fantu Magiso	800 m	DNS		Did not advance
Aselefech Mergia	Marathon	—				2:32:03	42
Belaynesh Oljira	10000 m	—				30:45.56	5

Key

• Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
• Q = Qualified for the next round
• q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
• NR = National record
• N/A = Round not applicable for the event
• Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round

Swimming

Main article: Swimming at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Ethiopia was given two "Universality places" from the FINA. ^[7] Mulualem Girma Teshale finished farther behind the other swimmers, only in fifty-seventh place, failing him to advance into the semifinals. Yanet Seyoum, the first female Ethiopian swimmer ^[8] finished sixty-fifth out of 73 swimmers, and also did not advance into the semifinals.

Men

Athlete	Event	Heat		Semifinal		Final
		Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Mulualem Girma Teshale	50 m freestyle	28.99	57	Did not advance

Women

Athlete	Event	Heat		Semifinal		Final
		Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Yanet Seyoum	50 m freestyle	32.41	65	did not advance

References

1. "IOC Executive Board approves medal and diploma reallocation for London 2012 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games". 26 June 2025. Archived from the original on 26 June 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
2. "iaaf.org – Top Lists". IAAF. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
3. IAAF Games of the XXX Olympiad – London 2012 ENTRY STANDARDS (PDF), IAAF, archived from the original (PDF) on 7 July 2012, retrieved 4 June 2011
4. Crouse, Karen (10 August 2012). "Ethiopian Reclaims 5,000-Meter Title From a Rival Countrywoman (Published 2012)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023.
5. London 2012 Athletics: Farah holds off Rupp, Bekeles for memorable gold
6. London 2012: Ethiopia’s Tiki Gelana wins Olympic marathon despite fall
7. "FINA Universality Places" (PDF). FINA. 6 July 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
8. Ethiopian Olympic Athletes Feted

External links

• Ethiopia at the 2012 Summer Olympics. London2012.com. at the UK Government Web Archive (archived 30 August 2012)
• Ethiopia at the 2012 Summer Olympics at SR/Olympics (archived)