Meseret Defar Tola is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes chiefly in the 3000 metres and 5000 metres events. She has won medals at top-tier international competitions including Olympic and World Championship gold medals over 5000 metres. She broke the world record in the event in 2006, broke it again in 2007 and held it until 2008, when fellow Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba beat her time.
Maryam Yusuf Jamal is an Ethiopian-born Bahraini middle-distance runner. She is the first Bahraini athlete to win an Olympic medal, a gold in the 1500m women's race, in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. This was also the first Olympic medal won by a woman representing a Gulf state. Born in Ethiopia, 2005 was her first full season. She gained the national record and ran the fastest 3000 m of the year, with a time of 8:28.87 at a race in Oslo. Jamal is a two-time world champion in the 1500 m, having won at the 2007 and 2009 World Championships in Athletics.
Gelete Burka Bati is an Ethiopian middle-distance and long-distance runner. She was born in Kofele in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region, the same district as double Olympic champion Haile Gebrselassie.
Hailu Mekonnen is an Ethiopian runner, who specializes in the 5000 metres and cross-country running.
Genzebe Dibaba Keneni is an Ethiopian middle- and long-distance runner. A 1500 metres 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist, she won a gold medal in this event and a bronze in the 5000 metres at the 2015 World Championships. Genzebe is the current world record holder for the indoor events of the one mile, 3000m and 5000m.
Anna Aleksandrovna Alminova is a Russian middle-distance runner who specializes in the 1500 metres. She was the European indoor champion in the 1500 m in 2009, but lost the title when she was found to have been doping.
Shitaye Eshete Habtegebrel is an Ethiopian-born long-distance runner who competes internationally for Bahrain.
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.
Hellen Onsando Obiri is a Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner. She is the only woman to have won world titles in indoor track, outdoor track and cross country. Obiri is a two-time Olympic 5000 metres silver medallist from the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she also placed fourth over the 10,000 metres. She is a two-time world champion after winning the 5000 m in 2017 and again in 2019, when she set a new championship record. Obiri also took world bronze for the 1500 metres in 2013 and silver in the 10,000 m in 2022. She won the 3000 metres race at the 2012 World Indoor Championships, claimed silver in 2014, and placed fourth in 2018. She is the 2019 World Cross Country champion. Obiri triumphed in the 2023 Boston Marathon, her second marathon race. She places fifth in the half marathon on the world all-time list.
Genzeb Shumi Regasa is an Ethiopian-born middle distance runner who competes internationally for Bahrain. She won the 1500 metres gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championships in 2011 and the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in 2012. Her personal bests are 2:01.18 minutes for the 800 metres and 4:05.16 minutes for the 1500 m.
Abeba Aregawi Gebretsadik is an Ethiopian-Swedish retired middle-distance runner who specialised in the 1500 metres. She won the bronze medal in the 1500 m at the 2012 Summer Olympics and a gold medal at the World Championships in 2013. She represented both Ethiopia and Sweden internationally.
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.
Alemu Bekele Gebre is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner who competes internationally for Bahrain. He specialises in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres.
Axumawit Alem Embaye is an Ethiopian middle-distance runner, who specialises in the 1500 metres. She is a two-time World Indoor Championship silver medallist from 2014 and 2022.
Gudaf Tsegay Desta is an Ethiopian middle- and long-distance runner. She is the current world record holder on 5000 m (14:00.21), set at the 2023 final Diamond League event, the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. Eugene is also where she won the World Athletics Championships on 5000 m in 2022. At the World Athletics Championships, Tsegay also won the gold medal for 10,000 metres in 2023; a bronze for the 1500 metres in 2019, and silver in 2022. She is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist in the women's 5000 metres. She is a two-time World Indoor Championship 1500 m medallist, claiming bronze in 2016 and gold in 2022. She is also the world indoor record holder for the 1500 m, setting previously in this event world under-18 (current) and U20 (former) records.
Dawit Seyaum Biratu is an Ethiopian middle- and long-distance runner who specialises in the 1500 metres. She placed fourth at the 2015 World Championships and won the silver medal at the 2016 World Indoor Championships. Dawit took a bronze in the 5000 metres at the 2022 World Championships.
Agnes Jebet Tirop was a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. She won bronze medals in the 10,000 metres at the 2017 and 2019 World Athletics Championships. At the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Tirop became the second-youngest ever gold medallist in the women's race after Zola Budd. At the time of her death in 2021, she was the world-record holder in the 10 kilometres women's only event.
Senbere Teferi is an Ethiopian professional middle- and long-distance runner. She won the silver medal in the 5000 metres at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics. Teferi was also the silver medallist at the 2015 World Cross Country Championships. She is the world record holder for the women's only 5 kilometres road race.
Nancy Chepkwemoi is a Kenyan professional middle-distance runner who competes mainly in the 1500 metres. She has a personal best of 4:03.09 minutes for the distance. She won junior medals in the 1500 m and cross country at African and world level.
Lemlem Hailu is an Ethiopian middle- and long-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 3000 metres at the 2022 World Indoor Championships. Hailu earned bronze in the 1500 metres at the 2019 African Games.
