Ethiopia at the 2012 Summer Olympics

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Ethiopia at the
2012 Summer Olympics
Flag of Ethiopia.svg
IOC code ETH
NOC Ethiopian Olympic Committee
in London
Competitors35 in 2 sports
Flag bearers Yanet Seyoum (opening)
Tirunesh Dibaba (closing)
Medals
Ranked 23rd
Gold
3
Silver
2
Bronze
3
Total
8
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)

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.

Contents

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, 1 silver, and 3 bronze), sharing the same records with Beijing and Athens, respectively. One more medal was redistributed after the games ended due to doping cases. All gold medals were received only by women for the first time in its history.

Medalists

MedalNameSportEventDate
Gold medal icon.svg Gold Tirunesh Dibaba Athletics Women's 10,000 m 3 August
Gold medal icon.svg Gold Tiki Gelana Athletics Women's marathon 5 August
Gold medal icon.svg Gold Meseret Defar Athletics Women's 5000 m 10 August
Silver medal icon.svg Silver Sofia Assefa Athletics Women's 3000 m steeplechase 6 August
Silver medal icon.svg Silver Dejen Gebremeskel Athletics Men's 5000 m 11 August
Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze Tariku Bekele Athletics Men's 10,000 m 4 August
Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze Tirunesh Dibaba Athletics Women's 5000 m 10 August
Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze Abeba Aregawi Athletics Women's 1500 m 10 August

Athletics

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): [1] [2] 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. [3] 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. [4]

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. [5]

Men
AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinal
ResultRankResultRankResultRank
Ayele Abshero Marathon DNF
Yenew Alamirew 5000 m 13:15.392 Q13:49.6812
Mohammed Aman 800 m 1:47.341 Q1:44.341 Q1:43.206
Kenenisa Bekele 10000 m 27:32.444
Tariku Bekele 27:31.43Bronze medal icon.svg
Bereket Desta 400 m 47.407Did not advance
Getu Feleke Marathon DNF
Roba Gari 3000 m steeplechase 8:20.681 Q8:20.004
Gebregziabher Gebremariam 10000 m 27:36.348
Mekonnen Gebremedhin 1500 m 3:36.562 Q3:42.904 Q3:35.446
Dejen Gebremeskel 5000 m 13:15.151 Q13:41.98Silver medal icon.svg
Hagos Gebrhiwet 13:26.165 Q13:49.5911
Birhan Getahun 3000 m steeplechase DNFDid not advance
Nahom Mesfin 8:18.165 q8:35.1212
Dino Sefer Marathon DNF
Dawit Wolde 1500 m 3:41.8110Did not advance
Aman Wote 1500 m 3:41.678Did not advance
Women
AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinal
ResultRankResultRankResultRank
Abeba Aregawi 1500 m 4:04.551 Q4:01.031 Q4:11.03Bronze medal icon.svg
Meskerem Assefa 4:15.529Did not advance
Sofia Assefa 3000 m steeplechase 9:25.421 Q9:09.84Silver medal icon.svg
Hiwot Ayalew 9:24.011 Q9:12.985
Gelete Burka 5000 m 15:01.441 Q15:10.665
Meseret Defar 14:58.702 Q15:04.25Gold medal icon.svg
Genzebe Dibaba 1500 m 4:11.1510Did not advance
Mare Dibaba Marathon 2:28:4823
Tirunesh Dibaba 5000 m 14:58.481 Q15:05.15Bronze medal icon.svg
10000 m 30:20.75Gold medal icon.svg
Etenesh Diro 3000 m steeplechase 9:25.312 Q9:19.896
Tiki Gelana Marathon 2:23:07Gold medal icon.svg
Werknesh Kidane 10000 m 30:39.384
Fantu Magiso 800 m DNSDid not advance
Aselefech Mergia Marathon 2:32:0342
Belaynesh Oljira 10000 m 30:45.565
Key

Swimming

Ethiopia was given two "Universality places" from the FINA. [6] 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 [7] finished sixty-fifth out of 73 swimmers, and also did not advance into the semifinals.

Men
AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinal
TimeRankTimeRankTimeRank
Mulualem Girma Teshale 50 m freestyle 28.9957Did not advance
Women
AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinal
TimeRankTimeRankTimeRank
Yanet Seyoum 50 m freestyle 32.4165did not advance

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References

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  3. "Ethiopian Reclaims 5,000-Meter Title From a Rival Countrywoman (Published 2012)". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 13 January 2023.
  4. London 2012 Athletics: Farah holds off Rupp, Bekeles for memorable gold
  5. London 2012: Ethiopia’s Tiki Gelana wins Olympic marathon despite fall
  6. "FINA Universality Places" (PDF). FINA. 6 July 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  7. Ethiopian Olympic Athletes Feted