Ethiopia at the 2016 Summer Olympics

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Ethiopia at the
2016 Summer Olympics
Flag of Ethiopia.svg
IOC code ETH
NOC Ethiopian Olympic Committee
Website www.ethiolympic.org
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 QN/ADSQ
Dejen Gebremeskel 13:19.673 QN/A13:51.9112
Hagos Gebrhiwet 13:24.651 QN/A13:04.35Bronze medal icon.svg
Yigrem Demelash 10000 m N/A27:06.274
Abadi Hadis N/A27:26.3415
Tamirat Tola N/A27:06.26Bronze medal icon.svg
Hailemariyam Amare 3000 m steeplechase 8:35.018N/ADid not advance
Chala Beyo 8:32.067N/ADid not advance
Tafese Seboka DSQN/ADid not advance
Tesfaye Abera Marathon N/ADNF
Lemi Berhanu N/A2:13:2913
Feyisa Lelisa N/A2:09:54Silver 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 QN/A14:33.59Bronze medal icon.svg
Senbere Teferi 15:17.432 QN/A14:43.755
Ababel Yeshaneh 15:24.388 qN/A15:18.2614
Almaz Ayana 10000 m N/A29:17.45 WR Gold medal icon.svg
Gelete Burka N/A30:26.668
Tirunesh Dibaba N/A29:42.56Bronze medal icon.svg
Sofia Assefa 3000 m steeplechase 9:18.752 QN/A9:17.155
Hiwot Ayalew 9:35.097N/ADid not advance
Etenesh Diro 9:34.707 qN/A9:38.7715
Mare Dibaba Marathon N/A2:24:30Bronze medal icon.svg
Tirfi Tsegaye N/A2:24:474
Tigist Tufa N/ADNF
Yehualeye Beletew 20 km walk N/ADSQ
Askale Tiksa N/A1:44:1561

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

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References

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