Medal record
| |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yihunlish Delelecha (also known as Yihunelish Bekele Deleleneh, born October 22, 1981) is an Ethiopian-American distance runner who was a member of the 1998 World Athletics Cross Country Championship silver medal-winning team for Ethiopia. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Delelecha is known for participating in middle-distance and long-distance running. She got her start competing in cross country races for Ethiopia. [5] She was 27th in the 1998 IAAF Cross Country Championships in Marrakesh, Morocco, as her team from Ethiopia (which included Kutre Dulecha, Genet Gebregiorgis and Alemitu Bekele Degfa) took silver. [2]
Later, after she came to the United States, she was working at a 7-Eleven in the nation's capital. She decided to quit and try running professionally. [6]
She made headlines in May 2011 when she ran the Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon. Athletes prepped to race in the weekend festivities (one of whom was the Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl), and Delelecha focused on taking the top prize. As a light rain fell on the cool Sunday morning, she came through in top form, leading Serkalem Abrha, Tezeta Dengersa and Alemtsehay Misganaw (who had registered for the half marathon, but missed a turn and finished the full marathon—in second place—only to be disqualified). [7] Delelecha's finishing time was a personal best 2:35:36. [8] [9]
She would finish third in the 2013 Pittsburgh race, when Mary Akor finished first and Hirut Guangul finished second. [10] But the results would not stand for long. Guangul failed a drug test and her result was knocked out. [11] Then Akor was suspended a few months later for having failed a drug test at a Mexican marathon. Akor's results at all her 2013 marathons were changed to disqualifications. [12]
Thus, Delelecha became the fourth two-time women's winner of the marathon.
In June 2011, 38 days after winning in Pittsburgh, Delelecha won first place at the 35th Grandma's Marathon with the time of 02:30:39. A fellow countrywoman, Buzunesh Deba had introduced her to the race and encouraged her to try it. The day in 2011 started with rain, which stopped after the start of the race. There was a small tailwind and weather cool enough to see the breath of the runners along Lake Superior's North Shore. Delelecha ran with Everlyne Lagat until mile 19. Lagat finished second, while Dot McMahan came from behind to finish third. [6] [13] [14]
November brought her to the city of brotherly love for the Philadelphia Half Marathon. She won, beating out 19-year-old Bekelech Bedada and Amanda Marino, a member of the 2009 NCAA Cross Country championship team from Villanova. Delelecha's time was a personal best 1:12:42. [15] [16]
She was third at the 2012 Houston Marathon, as Benita Willis edged her out near the finish and Alemitu Abera ran away with the lead, setting a course record. [17]
In 2012, Delelecha ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile race in Washington D.C. Her time of 54:33 placed her third, behind winner Julliah Kerubo Tinega and second-place Malika Mejdoub. [18]
That year, she was fourth at the Pittsburgh Half Marathon (while Fatuma Sado set a course record), [19] third in her return to Grandma's Marathon (this time behind Everlyne Lagat and Mulu Seboka), [20] fifth in the Twin Cities Marathon (behind Jeannette Faber) [21] and fourth in the Philadelphia Half Marathon. [22]
Delelecha resided in Waldorf, Maryland in 2011. [5] She occasionally trained in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a group of African athletes while preparing for races. [13]
| Discipline | Performance | Place | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Kilometres | 16:58 | Kenneth Square (USA) | 18 MAY 2013 |
| 10 Kilometres | 33:20 | Rockville, MD (USA) | 17 APR 2011 |
| 15 Kilometres | 53:34 | Le Puy-en-Velay (FRA) | 01 MAY 2002 |
| 10 Miles Road | 54:33 | Washington, DC (USA) | 01 APR 2012 |
| 20 Kilometres | 1:12:16 | New Haven, CT (USA) | 07 SEP 2015 |
| Half Marathon | 1:12:43 | Philadelphia, PA (USA) | 20 NOV 2011 |
| Marathon | 2:30:38 | Duluth, MN (USA) | 18 JUN 2011 |
Grandma's Marathon (Grandma's) is an annual road race held each June in Duluth, Minnesota, in the United States. The course runs point-to-point from the city of Two Harbors on Scenic Route 61 and continues along Lake Superior into the city of Duluth. The finish is located in Canal Park, near Grandma's Restaurant, which is next to the highly visible Aerial Lift Bridge.
The Pittsburgh Marathon is an annual road marathon usually held on the first Sunday in May in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States, first held in 1985. The hilly course runs through the city center and crosses each of Pittsburgh's three main rivers. Generally, over 3,000 runners finish the marathon each year. The weekend's events also include a half marathon, marathon relay, and 5K.
Alemitu Bekele is an Ethiopian-born Turkish long-distance runner, who specialized in the 5000 metres.
Bazu Worku is a long-distance runner from Ethiopia who competes in marathon races.
Atsede Habtamu Besuye is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specialises in road running and the marathon distance.
Sultan Haydar is an Ethiopian-born Turkish long-distance runner. The 170 cm tall athlete at 55 kg (121 lb) is a member of Enkaspor, where she is coached by Nikola Borić.
Mamitu Daska Molisa, also known as Mamitu Deska, is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specialises in road running events, including the marathon. She is a two-time team silver medallist at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. She has won the Dubai Marathon and Houston Marathon and has a personal best of 2:21:59 hours for the distance.
The Women's marathon at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics was held starting and finishing at Gukchae – bosang Memorial Park on 27 August. A total of 54 runners began the race and twenty three nations were represented.
Netsanet Gudeta Kebede is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in road running and cross country running events. She was the bronze medallist at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2015. She shared in the team title at that competition and also won team silver at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 2014. Her best for the half marathon is 66:11 minutes.
Dominic Ondoro is a Kenyan long-distance runner best known for holding the course records at Minnesota's Grandma's Marathon and the Twin Cities Marathon. He has won many other major marathons, some multiple times, such as the 2017 and 2023 Houston Marathon in Texas, his two Melbourne Marathon wins in Australia and his unrivaled four Twin Cities Marathon wins in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Yeshimebet Tadesse Bifa is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who has run a personal best in the marathon of 2:26:18 hours.
Nell Rojas is an American triathlete, long-distance runner, coach, business owner, and winner of the 2019 Grandma's Marathon. She also competed at the 2020 USA Olympic Marathon Trials and finished in 9th place.
Helen Bekele Tola is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She finished second at the 2019 Tokyo Marathon, and third at the 2021 Berlin Marathon. She has also won the Annecy and Barcelona Marathons, as well as multiple other long-distance events. Born in Ethiopia, she now lives in Switzerland.
Sammy Malakwen is a middle- and long-distance runner from Kenya who also trained in Two Harbors, Minnesota. He has won several major marathons, and has finished in the top 10 of several major road races.
Sarah Kiptoo Cheriwoi is a Kenyan-born long-distance runner who is the winner of the 2014 Casablanca International Marathon as well as the 2013 and 2016 Grandma's Marathon, the 2017 Philadelphia Marathon and several other American road races.
Pasca Jerono is a Kenyan-born American middle- and long-distance runner best known for winning the 2014 Grandma's Marathon in 2:33:45.
Philemon Kiprono Kemboi is a former long-distance runner who competed in Africa, China, Europe and the United States, where he won the Grandma's Marathon in 2010.
Everlyne Lagat is a retired long-distance runner with multiple marathon wins. Lagat has nine siblings, all of which ran competitively in some fashion, including her brother, Olympian Bernard Lagat.
Dakotah Lindwurm is a professional long-distance runner who won back-to-back victories at Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota. Her victory in 2022 made her the 12th fastest U.S. women's marathoner of all time. She is known for her fast U.S. times and her characteristic smile while racing. In 2022, she signed a sponsorship with Puma.
Mary Adah Akor Beasley is a Nigerian–American athlete who competed for the US at the 2005 and 2007 World Marathon Championships. In 2006, she was ranked the seventh fastest U.S. woman marathoner of the year; in 2007, the sixth. She runs multifarious marathons around the United States, Mexico and Africa. After running the Gobernador Marathon in Mexicali, Mexico, in December 2012, she was found to be using a banned substance. She accepted her sanction and returned to competition in 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)