![]() Yehualaw at the 2023 World Athletics Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full name | Yalemzerf Yehualaw Densa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Finote Selam, Mirab Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia | 3 August 1999|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse(s) | Genetu Molalign | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | Ethiopia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | Long-distance running | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Team | NN Running Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coached by | Tessema Abshero | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal best(s) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Yalemzerf Yehualaw Densa (born 3 August 1999) [1] is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She won the 2022 London Marathon. Yehualaw is the current world record holder in the 10 kilometres road race, sits second on the world all-time list at the half marathon and tenth on the respective world all-time list for the marathon. [2]
Yehualaw recorded the then-fastest ever women's marathon debut at the time at the 2022 Hamburg Marathon.
Yalemzerf Yehualaw was born the eldest of six siblings in Finote Selam in the West Gojjam area of the Amhara Region. Her name means in Amharic 'edge of the world'. [2]
She was winning track races at school from the age of 12 and later also youth track titles in her highly-competitive region. With wins on the track, road and cross country, she was invited to join the Ethiopian Youth Sport Academy in Addis Ababa where she currently lives, and then, after four years in 2017, to join the NN Running Team coached by Tessema Abshero. [3] [4]
A 19-year-old Yehualaw made her international debut in April 2019 at the Rabat Half Marathon in Morocco, where she took victory. The same year, she represented Ethiopia at the African Games held also in Rabat and won the women's half marathon event, breaking Games record in a time of 1:10:26. [5] She also won the Great Ethiopian Run, a 10 kilometres road race in Addis Ababa, setting a new course record of 31:55. [6]
She earned the bronze medal in the women's half marathon at the postponed 2020 World Half Marathon Championships held in Gdynia, Poland, just three seconds behind gold medallist Peres Jepchirchir. [7] A month later in November, Yehualaw competed at the Delhi Half Marathon in India where she faced a world-class field. In most impressive performance of her career up to that point, she won the race in a time of 1:04:46, the second-fastest women's time ever recorded for the distance, beating world record-holder Ababel Yeshaneh and 2019 World marathon champion Ruth Chepng'etich. [8]
In August 2021, Yehualaw competed in the Antrim Coast Half Marathon in Northern Ireland setting a new world record time of 63m 44s, the first women's mark under 64 minutes not ratified because the course was 54 metres short. [9] She ran legal 63m 51s in October at the Valencia Half Marathon thus securing second mark on the world all-time list behind team-mate Letesenbet Gidey, who set a world record in this race. [10]
In January, after having to withdraw from the Valencia 10 km two weeks earlier, Yehualaw bettered her own course record at the Great Ethiopian Run with a time of 31:17, the fastest 10 km ever recorded at altitude. [11]
On 27 February, she ran again 10 kilometres and set a new world record in the women's event in Castellón, Spain, slicing 24 seconds off the still-unratified mark held by Bahrain's Kalkidan Gezahegne since 2021, with a clocking of 29 minutes 14 seconds. At the time Kenya's Joyciline Jepkosgei held the ratified record of 29:43, set in 2017. Only two women ever had run faster over the distance on the track. She covered the first 5 km in 14:28 – just nine seconds slower than the world record for this distance. [12]
In April, in her anticipated first marathon, Yehualaw achieved the fastest ever women's marathon debut of 2:17:23 at the Hamburg Marathon, breaking the Ethiopian record, German all-comers' record, and putting her sixth on the world all-time list. She won by almost nine minutes (around three kilometres) in windy conditions. [13] [14]
The 23-year-old successfully defended her Antrim Coast Half Marathon title in August, setting the UK all-comers' record with her joint fifth-fastest ever time of 64m 22s. [15]
On 2 October, Yehualaw took her first victory at a World Marathon Major at the London Marathon, becoming the youngest ever female winner of the London event. She clocked 2:17:26, only three seconds outside her personal best, after she fell over with about 10 km to go. She then soon broke clear of Joyciline Jepkosgei in second, with 24th mile in a quick 4:43 according to initial reports [upper-alpha 1] — the fastest split in women's marathon history. Her finishing time was the third-fastest women's mark in the London event history, behind only the world records set by Paula Radcliffe (2:15:25) and Mary Keitany (2:17:01, women-only). [16] [17]
Chasing her own world 10 km record in windy conditions at the 10K Valencia Ibercaja in January, Yehualaw missed it by 5 seconds to set a course record of 29:19, the second-fastest ever female performance in the event. [18] She finished fifth in her second appearance at the London Marathon in April in 2:18:53. [1]
Type | Event | Time | Place | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Track | 5000 metres | 14:53.77 | Nice, France | 12 June 2021 | |
10,000 metres | 30:20.77 | Hengelo, Netherlands | 8 June 2021 | ||
Road | 5 km | 15:27 | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | 15 March 2020 | |
10 km | 29:14 | Castellón, Spain | 27 February 2022 | Mx World record | |
Half marathon | 63:51 | Valencia, Spain | 24 October 2021 | Mx, 2nd of all time [19] | |
Marathon | 2:17:23 | Hamburg, Germany | 24 April 2022 | Mx, 12th woman of all time [20] |
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing ![]() | ||||||
2019 | African Games | Rabat, Morocco | 1st | Half marathon | 1:10:26 | GR |
2020 | World Half Marathon Championships | Gdynia, Poland | 3rd | Half marathon | 1:05:19 | PB |
1st | Team race | 3:16:39 | ||||
World Marathon Majors | ||||||
2022 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 1st | Marathon | 2:17:26 | |
2023 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 5th | Marathon | 2:18:53 | |
Road races | ||||||
2019 | Rabat Marathon | Rabat, Morocco | 1st | Half marathon | 1:09:13 | |
Delhi Half Marathon | New Delhi, India | 2nd | Half marathon | 1:06:01 | ||
Great Ethiopian Run | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | 1st | 10 km | 31:55 | CR | |
Xiamen International Marathon | Xiamen, China | 1st | Half marathon | 1:07:34 | ||
2020 | Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon | Ras Al Khaimah, UAE | 6th | Half marathon | 1:06:35 | |
Women's First 5km | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | 2nd | 5 km | 15:27 | ||
Delhi Half Marathon | New Delhi, India | 1st | Half marathon | 1:04:46 | CR | |
San Silvestre Vallecana | Madrid, Spain | 1st | 10 km | 31:17 | ||
2021 | Istanbul Half Marathon | Istanbul, Turkey | 2nd | Half marathon | 1:04:40 | |
Antrim Coast Half Marathon | Larne, Northern Ireland | 1st | Half marathon | |||
Valencia Half Marathon | Valencia, Spain | 2nd | Half marathon | 1:03:51 | ||
2022 | Great Ethiopian Run | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | 1st | 10 km | 31:17 | CR |
10K FACSA Castelló | Castellón, Spain | 1st | 10 km | 29:14 | WR | |
Hamburg Marathon | Hamburg, Germany | 1st | Marathon | 2:17:23 | CR NR | |
Antrim Coast Half Marathon | Larne, Northern Ireland | 1st | Half marathon | 1:04:22 | CR | |
2023 | 10K Valencia Ibercaja | Valencia, Spain | 1st | 10 km | 29:19 | CR |
A half marathon is a road running event of 21.0975 kilometres —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcuts. If finisher medals are awarded, the medal or ribbon may differ from those for the full marathon. The half marathon is also known as a 21K, 21.1K, or 13.1 miles, although these values are rounded and not formally correct.
Liliya Bulatovna Shobukhova, née Shagbalova, Divorced name Volkova, is a Russian long-distance runner who competed in marathon races. She previously specialized in the 3000 and 5000 metres track events. She served a doping ban until 23 August 2015.
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.
The 10K run is a long-distance road running competition over a distance of ten kilometres. Also referred to as the 10K road race, 10 km, or simply 10K, it is one of the most common types of road running event, alongside the shorter 5K and longer half marathon and marathon. It is usually distinguished from the 10,000 metres track running event by stating the distance in kilometres, rather than metres.
Mary Jepkosgei Keitany is a Kenyan former professional long distance runner. She is the world record holder in a women-only marathon, having won the 2017 London Marathon in a time of 2:17:01. As of November 2022, she placed fifth on the world all-time list at the marathon and eleventh on the respective world all-time list for the half marathon.
Aberu Kebede Shewaye is an Ethiopian long distance runner who specializes in road running competitions. Her half marathon best of 1:07:39 is one of the fastest ever by an Ethiopian woman. She gained bronze at the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships with the performance and has won at the Berlin Marathon, Stramilano Half Marathon and the Rotterdam Marathon. She has a marathon best of 2:20:30 hours.
Eilish McColgan is a Scottish middle- and long-distance runner. She is the 2022 Commonwealth Games 10,000 metres champion with the Games record, and 5000 metres silver medallist. McColgan is a four-time European Championships medallist, winning silver medals for the 5000 m in 2018 and 10,000 m in 2022, bronze in the 5000 m in 2022, and a bronze for the indoor 3000 metres in 2017. She is the European record holder for the 10 km road race, and the British record holder for the 5000 m, 10,000 m, 5 km and half marathon. She also holds the European best in the 10 miles on the roads.
Almaz Ayana Eba is an Ethiopian female long-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres and bronze for the 5000 metres at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Almaz is a four-time World Athletics Championships medallist earning a bronze for the 5000m in 2013, gold at the event in 2015 as well as gold in the 10,000m and silver for the 5000m in 2017.
Tigist Assefa Tessema is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, a former 800 metres specialist. After her marathon debut in April 2022, she improved by over 18 minutes and set the third-fastest mark on the world all-time list at the 2022 Berlin Marathon.
The world record in the half marathon has been officially recognised since 1 January 2004 by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the international governing body for the sport of athletics. A total of five men's world records and six women's world records have been officially ratified since that date. The IAAF officially recognised the fastest times prior to that date as a "world best" from 1 January 2003 onwards. Before that date, the IAAF did not recognise any road running world records, though the concept of a world record was recognised by other organisations, such as the Association of Road Racing Statisticians (ARRS).
Joyciline Jepkosgei is a Kenyan female long-distance runner who competes over distances from 10,000 metres to the marathon. She is the former half marathon world record holder in contests with mixed-gender fields with her personal best of 64:51 minutes, and additionally the former world record holder in the 10 km with 29:43 minutes. She was a bronze medallist over 10,000 m at the African Championships in Athletics in 2016. Jepkosgei ran a world record for the half marathon of 1:04:52 at the Prague Half Marathon in April 2017, becoming the first woman ever to break 65 minutes. She also unofficially broke the IAAF-ratified records for 10 km, 15 km and 20 km along the way, breaking a total of four world records in a single event. She became the first Kenyan ever to break six world records in six months.
Letesenbet Gidey is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who holds two world records plus one world best. In the 10,000 metres, she is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist, 2019 World silver medallist, and 2022 World champion.
Ruth Chepng'etich, often spelt Ruth Chepngetich, is a Kenyan road racing athlete, who competes in the marathon and other long distance events. She was the 2019 Marathon World champion in hot and humid conditions. Chepng'etich twice won the Chicago Marathon, in 2021 and 2022. Her personal best in the marathon sits second on the world all-time list. She holds the third-fastest mark of all time for the half marathon.
Tsehay Gemechu is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She finished fourth in the 5000 metres at the 2019 World Athletics Championships. Gemechu won the 10,000 metres at the 2019 African Games. She placed second at the 2023 Tokyo Marathon.
Alemu Megertu is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She finished third and second at the 2022 and 2023 London Marathon respectively.
The 2022 London Marathon was the 42nd running of the annual London Marathon on 2 October 2022. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the race was postponed from April until October to maximise the chances of a mass participation event. The elite men's and women's event were won by Kenyan Amos Kipruto and Ethiopian Yalemzerf Yehualaw respectively. The wheelchair races were won by Swiss athletes Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner respectively, both in course record times. Over 40,000 people finished the mass participation event.
Amane Beriso Shankule is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. In 2023, she won the marathon at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. In 2022, she improved her marathon personal best by nearly six minutes to take the win at the 2022 Valencia Marathon, placing third on the world all-time list. Beriso finished second at the 2023 Boston Marathon.
The 2023 London Marathon was the 43rd running of the annual London Marathon on 23 April 2023. It was the first time since 2019 that the event was run in the spring, as the previous three races were run in autumn due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Antrim Coast Half Marathon is an annual international half marathon competition which is contested every August in Larne, Northern Ireland. It is one of two half marathons within UK & Ireland which carries World Athletics 'Elite' Label Road Race status. The race was founded by former Olympic athlete James McIlroy and his wife Ruth McIlroy. In 2023, Ross Lazaroo-Hood and Sitki Gelman became shareholders.