Ethiopia at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Last updated

Ethiopia at the
2016 Summer Olympics
Flag of Ethiopia.svg
IOC code ETH
NOC Ethiopian Olympic Committee
in Rio de Janeiro
Competitors38 in 3 sports
Flag bearer Robel Kiros Habte [1]
Medals
Ranked 44th
Gold
1
Silver
2
Bronze
5
Total
8
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)

Ethiopia competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, from 5 to 21 August 2016. The country's participation in Rio de Janeiro marked its thirteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1956, having missed three occasions for joining the African (1976), Soviet (1984), and North Korean (1988) boycotts.

Contents

The Ethiopian Olympic Committee (EOC) confirmed a team of 38 athletes, 18 men and 20 women, to compete only in track and field, swimming, and road cycling (the country's Olympic return from a 24-year absence) at the Games. The nation's full roster also achieved a historic milestone, as the number of female athletes outnumbered the men for the first time.

Eleven Ethiopian athletes previously competed in London, with only three of them having won medals, including two-time defending champion Tirunesh Dibaba in the women's 10,000 metres, steeplechaser Sofia Assefa, and long-distance runner Dejen Gebremeskel (men's 5000 metres). Other notable athletes on the Ethiopian team featured Dibaba's younger sister and current world record holder Genzebe in middle-distance running, reigning world champions Mare Dibaba (women's marathon) and Almaz Ayana, and freestyle swimmer Robel Kiros Habte, who was appointed as the nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony and eventually acknowledged internet fame for his portly build and slow qualifying time. [1] [2]

Ethiopia left Rio de Janeiro with a total of eight medals (1 gold, 2 silver, 5 bronze), matching its overall tally from the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. [3] Among the nation's medalists were Ayana, who overturned a long-standing world record to become an Olympic champion in the women's 10,000 metres, and Feyisa Lilesa, who flaunted an anti-government gesture upon finishing second in the men's marathon. [4] [5] Ayana's predecessor Dibaba witnessed her three-peat bid come to an end with a bronze-medal finish in her pet event, while Genzebe followed her elder sister's Olympic legacy by earning a silver in the women's 1500 metres. [6]

Medalists

MedalNameSportEventDate
Gold medal icon.svg Gold Almaz Ayana Athletics Women's 10,000 m 12 August
Silver medal icon.svg Silver Genzebe Dibaba Athletics Women's 1500 m 16 August
Silver medal icon.svg Silver Feyisa Lilesa Athletics Men's marathon 21 August
Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze Tirunesh Dibaba Athletics Women's 10,000 m 12 August
Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze Tamirat Tola Athletics Men's 10,000 m 13 August
Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze Mare Dibaba Athletics Women's marathon 14 August
Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze Almaz Ayana Athletics Women's 5000 m 20 August
Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze Hagos Gebrhiwet Athletics Men's 5000 m 20 August

Athletics (track and field)

Ethiopian athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event): [7] [8]

Following the end of the qualifying period on 11 July, a total of 35 track and field athletes (16 men and 19 women) were officially named to the Ethiopian roster for the Games, with Tirunesh Dibaba looking to defend her Olympic title for the third consecutive time in the women's 10,000 metres. Apart from Dibaba, notable athletes also featured London 2012 silver medalist Dejen Gebremeskel (men's 5000 metres), double Worlds long-distance champion Almaz Ayana, and middle-distance aces Mohammed Aman and Tirunesh's sister Genzebe Dibaba. [9]

Key
Track & road events
Men
AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinal
ResultRankResultRankResultRank
Mohammed Aman 800 m 1:48.332 Q1:46.148Did not advance
Mekonnen Gebremedhin 1500 m 3:47.335 Q3:40.697Did not advance
Dawit Wolde 3:39.2910 q3:41.4210Did not advance
Aman Wote DNSDid not advance
Muktar Edris 5000 m 13:19.652 QDSQ
Dejen Gebremeskel 13:19.673 Q13:51.9112
Hagos Gebrhiwet 13:24.651 Q13:04.35Bronze medal icon.svg
Yigrem Demelash 10000 m 27:06.274
Abadi Hadis 27:26.3415
Tamirat Tola 27:06.26Bronze medal icon.svg
Hailemariyam Amare 3000 m steeplechase 8:35.018Did not advance
Chala Beyo 8:32.067Did not advance
Tafese Seboka DSQDid not advance
Tesfaye Abera Marathon DNF
Lemi Berhanu 2:13:2913
Feyisa Lelisa 2:09:54Silver medal icon.svg
Women
AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinal
ResultRankResultRankResultRank
Habitam Alemu 800 m 1:58.993 q2:00.076Did not advance
Tigist Assefa 2:00.215Did not advance
Gudaf Tsegay 2:00.134Did not advance
Genzebe Dibaba 1500 m 4:10.611 Q4:03.061 Q4:10.27Silver medal icon.svg
Besu Sado 4:08.116 Q4:05.194 Q4:13.589
Dawit Seyaum 4:05.331 Q4:04.232 Q4:13.148
Almaz Ayana 5000 m 15:04.351 Q14:33.59Bronze medal icon.svg
Senbere Teferi 15:17.432 Q14:43.755
Ababel Yeshaneh 15:24.388 q15:18.2614
Almaz Ayana 10000 m 29:17.45 WR Gold medal icon.svg
Gelete Burka 30:26.668
Tirunesh Dibaba 29:42.56Bronze medal icon.svg
Sofia Assefa 3000 m steeplechase 9:18.752 Q9:17.155
Hiwot Ayalew 9:35.097Did not advance
Etenesh Diro 9:34.707 q9:38.7715
Mare Dibaba Marathon 2:24:30Bronze medal icon.svg
Tirfi Tsegaye 2:24:474
Tigist Tufa DNF
Yehualeye Beletew 20 km walk DSQ
Askale Tiksa 1:44:1561

Cycling

Road

Ethiopia has qualified one rider in the men's Olympic road race by virtue of being ranked in the top two NOCs at the 2015 African Championships, signifying the nation's Olympic comeback in the sport for the first time since 1992. [10] [11]

AthleteEventTimeRank
Tsgabu Grmay Men's road race Did not finish

Swimming

Ethiopia has received a Universality invitation from FINA to send two swimmers (one male and one female) to the Olympics. [12] [13] [14]

AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinal
TimeRankTimeRankTimeRank
Robel Kiros Habte Men's 100 m freestyle 1:04.9559Did not advance
Rahel Gebresilassie Women's 50 m freestyle 32.5175Did not advance

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derartu Tulu</span> Ethiopian former long-distance runner (born 1972)

Derartu Tulu NL COL is an Ethiopian former long-distance runner, who competed in track, cross country running, and road running up to the marathon distance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Werknesh Kidane</span> Ethiopian long-distance runner

Werknesh Kidane, is an Ethiopian long distance runner from Tigray who competes in both 5000 and 10,000 metres. She has won numerous medals at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and represented Ethiopia at the Summer Olympics in 2000, 2004 and 2012. She was the silver medallist at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics and a gold medallist at the 2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tirunesh Dibaba</span> Ethiopian long-distance runner

Tirunesh Dibaba is an Ethiopian athlete who competes in long-distance track events and international road races. She has won three Olympic track gold medals, five World Championship track gold medals, four individual World Cross Country (WCC) adult titles, and one individual WCC junior title. Tirunesh was the 5,000 metres world record holder until 2020 when her compatriot Letesenbet Gidey set a new world record. She is nicknamed the "baby-faced destroyer."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ejegayehu Dibaba</span> Ethiopian long-distance runner

Ejegayehu Dibaba Keneni ; born 21 March 1982, in Bekoji) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She won the silver medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Ejegayehu earned bronze medals in the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres events at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics. She took gold medals in the 10,000 m at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games and All-Africa Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genzebe Dibaba</span> Ethiopian middle and long-distance runner

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopia at the 2008 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Ethiopia competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing, People's Republic of China from August 8 to August 24, 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sport in Ethiopia</span>

Sports in Ethiopia include many fields, although Ethiopia is best known internationally for its middle-distance and long-distance runners. Seifu Mekonnen was an Olympic contestant for Ethiopia in boxing. The Ethiopian national football team won the 1962 African Cup of Nations. There are also traditional sports events, such as stick fighting which is popular amongst the Surma and Nyangatom people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopia at the 2012 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dejen Gebremeskel</span> Ethiopian long-distance runner

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics</span> 2016 Summer Olympics Athletics

Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics were held during the last 10 days of the games, from 12 to 21 August 2016, at the Olympic Stadium. The sport of athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics was made into three distinct sets of events: track and field events, road running events, and racewalking events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Almaz Ayana</span> Ethiopian long-distance runner

Almaz Ayana Eba is an Ethiopian female long-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres and bronze in the 5,000 metres at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Almaz is a four-time World Athletics Championships medallist earning a bronze for the 5,000m in 2013, gold at the event in 2015 as well as gold in the 10,000m and silver in the 5,000m in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5000 metres at the Olympics</span>

The 5000 metres at the Summer Olympics has been contested since the fifth edition of the multi-sport event. The men's 5000 m has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1912. The 3000 metres was the first women's Olympic long-distance track event, making its initial appearance at the 1984 Olympics, and this distance was extended to match the men's event from 1996 onwards. It is the most prestigious 5000 m race at elite level. The competition format typically has two qualifying heats leading to a final between fifteen athletes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10,000 metres at the Olympics</span>

The 10,000 metres at the Summer Olympics is the longest track running event held at the multi-sport event. The men's 10,000 m has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1912. The women's event was added to the programme over seventy years later, at the 1988 Olympics. It is the most prestigious 10,000 m race at elite level. The competition format is a straight final between around 30 athletes, although prior to 2004 a qualifying round was held.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Women's 10,000 metres</span>

The women's 10,000 metres event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place on 12 August at the Olympic Stadium. The gold medal was won by Ethiopian Almaz Ayana—in only her second 10,000 m race on the track—in a world record time of 29 minutes, 17.45 seconds. London 2012 bronze medallist Vivian Cheruiyot won silver for Kenya, with reigning Olympic champion Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia taking bronze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 5000 metres</span>

The women's 5000 metres at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Beijing National Stadium on 27 and 30 August. The reigning champion from 2013 Meseret Defar was absent from the competition, having not yet returned from a career break to start a family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10,000 metres at the World Athletics Championships</span>

The 10,000 metres at the World Championships in Athletics has been contested by men since the inaugural edition in 1983 and by women since the subsequent edition in 1987. It is the second most prestigious title in the discipline after the 10,000 metres at the Olympics. The competition format is a straight final with typically between twenty and thirty participants. Before 1999, the event had two qualifying heats leading to a final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 10,000 metres</span>

The women's 10,000 metres at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics was held at the London Stadium on 5 August. The winning margin was a huge 46.37 seconds. As of 2024, this is the only time the women's 10,000 metres has been won by more than 30 seconds at these championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's 10,000 metres</span> Olympic athletics event

The women's 10,000 metres event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 7 August 2021 at the Japan National Stadium. 29 athletes competed.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Flagbearers for the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony". International Olympic Committee . Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  2. "Rio 2016: The Olympic swimmer who's – very slowly – becoming crowd favourite". The Independent . 10 August 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  3. "Ethiopia's Rio Olympics Performance – Result Falls Short of Expectations". The Ethiopian Herald . AllAfrica.com. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  4. "Rio Olympics: Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana sets world record in winning women's 10,000 meters". Los Angeles Times . 27 August 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  5. "Medallist Feyisa Lilesa fails to return to Ethiopia after Olympics protest". The Guardian . 24 August 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  6. Fantahun, Arefayné (17 August 2016). "Genzebe Dibaba comes second to win silver for Ethiopia". Ethiopia Observer. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  7. "iaaf.org – Top Lists". IAAF. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  8. "IAAF Games of the XXX Olympiad – Rio 2016 Entry Standards" (PDF). IAAF . Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  9. "Ayana targets double gold as Ethiopia announce team for Rio". IAAF. 16 July 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  10. Samuel, Rahel (11 February 2015). "Historic Day for Ethiopian Cycling as Tsgabu Grmay wins Gold Medal". Ethiosports. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  11. "UCI announces men's road Olympic quotas". Cyclingnews.com. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  12. "Swimming World Rankings". FINA. Archived from the original on 6 January 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  13. "Men's Final Entry List" (PDF). FINA . Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  14. "Women's Final Entry List" (PDF). FINA . Retrieved 20 July 2016.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Ethiopia at the 2016 Summer Olympics at Wikimedia Commons