Asha Gigi
Encyclopedia
Asha Gigi Roba is an Ethiopia
n long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon
. Her personal best of 2:26:05 hours was set in 2004 at the Paris Marathon
, where she came second. She represented Ethiopia in the event at the 2004 Summer Olympics
and the World Championships in Athletics (2003 and 2005). She has won the Toronto Waterfront Marathon
and the Florence Marathon
.
In her early career in the 1990s she won team medals with Ethiopia at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships
and the World Road Relay Championships.
in Ethiopia's Oromia Region
, she started her career as a cross country runner. In 1994 she won a silver medal
as part of the Ethiopian women's team at the IAAF World Road Relay Championships. She also won a team silver medal at the 1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
, through a 19th place finish in the long race. She was selected for the national team at the 1996 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
, but came 43rd overall on that occasion. In 1998 she helped the Ethiopian women to the gold medal
s at the World Relay Championships, came 36th at the 1998 World Cross Country
, and was 19th at the 1998 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
.
After coming 32nd and 28th at the 1999 and 2000 World Cross Country events, she began to compete more in road and track competitions. She won the Phoenix 10K race in 1999. At the 2002 African Championships in Athletics
she was fourth in the 10,000 metres race and placed 17th at the 2002 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
. The following year she had her best finish at the World Cross Country event, taking tenth place in the women's long race
as the fifth Ethiopian woman to finish is a near medal sweep.
Asha Gigi made her debut over the marathon
distance in 2003 at the San Diego Marathon, where her time of 2:31:39 hours earned her a place for the national team. At the 2003 World Championships in Athletics
in Paris she came 19th and was part of the Ethiopian silver medal-winning team in the IAAF World Marathon Cup competition. The year after she was a lowly tenth at the Osaka Ladies Marathon but then made a breakthrough at the Paris Marathon
, setting a personal best time of 2:26:02 hours to finish runner-up to Salina Kosgei
. She had her first Olympic selection, but did not manage to finish the marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics
. She also ran at the 2004 New York City Marathon
, but managed only 13th place.
She ran in Paris for a third year running in 2005 and came third in her second fastest time (2:27:41 hours). Her third consecutive national selection saw her give her career best finish on the global stage, as she came 16th in the marathon at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
in Helsinki. She had a poor run at the Singapore Marathon
in December (2:46:14 hours) but returned to form in Paris in 2006 with a run of 2:32:35 hours for seventh place. She was fourth at that year's Berlin Marathon
(2:32:32) and was a late leader at the Tokyo Ladies Marathon, but failed to finish the race.
She recorded her third career sub-2:30 marathon in Paris in 2007 and her time of 2:29:11 hours brought her fourth place. Her first ever victory over the distance came at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon
where, in spite of a fast early pace, she went on to break the course record with her time 2:33:15 hours. The 2008 season was one of her most successful: she ran her third fastest ever time (2:28:24) at the Dubai Marathon
, taking sixth place, was third at the Hamburg Marathon
in another sub-2:30 clocking, then was runner-up in her attempted defence at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. She also won the Prague Half Marathon
Her sole outing of 2009 was in Dubai, where she came 11th overall. After a break from running in 2010, she came sixth at the Xiamen International Marathon
. Asha Gigi won the second marathon of her career at the 2011 Florence Marathon
, beating all opposition in a time of 2:31:36 hours.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
. Her personal best of 2:26:05 hours was set in 2004 at the Paris Marathon
Paris Marathon
The Paris International Marathon is an annual marathon which takes place from the Champs-Élysées heading towards the Place de la Concorde and continuing through the city to finish at Foch Avenue....
, where she came second. She represented Ethiopia in the event at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
and the World Championships in Athletics (2003 and 2005). She has won the Toronto Waterfront Marathon
Toronto Waterfront Marathon
The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is an annual marathon held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the last Sunday in September. Starting from 2011, the marathon will be held in October. The race day also includes a half marathon and 5 km race....
and the Florence Marathon
Florence Marathon
The Florence Marathon is an annual full-length marathon race which takes place in late November in Florence, Italy. Established in 1984, the international competition has significantly grown in size since its inaugural edition of 462 runners – a total of 10,211 runners started the 2010 edition,...
.
In her early career in the 1990s she won team medals with Ethiopia at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships
IAAF World Cross Country Championships
IAAF World Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Held annually and organised by International Association of Athletics Federations , it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the International Cross Country Championships...
and the World Road Relay Championships.
Career
Born in ArsiArsi
* Arsi Province, a former province of Ethiopia* Arsi Zone, a zone within the Oromia region of Ethiopia* Arsi Oromo, an Ethiopian clan of the Oromo people* Arsi language, a dialect of Oromo language* Arsi language, an extinct Tocharian language...
in Ethiopia's Oromia Region
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
, she started her career as a cross country runner. In 1994 she won a silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
as part of the Ethiopian women's team at the IAAF World Road Relay Championships. She also won a team silver medal at the 1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 22nd IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held on March 26, 1994 in Budapest, Hungary.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- External links :**...
, through a 19th place finish in the long race. She was selected for the national team at the 1996 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
1996 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 24th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held on 23 March 1996 in Stellenbosch, South Africa.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- External links :...
, but came 43rd overall on that occasion. In 1998 she helped the Ethiopian women to the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
s at the World Relay Championships, came 36th at the 1998 World Cross Country
1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 26th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 21-22 March 1998 in Marrakech, Morocco.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :...
, and was 19th at the 1998 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
1998 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 7th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on September 27, 1998 in the city of Uster, Switzerland. A total of 236 athletes, 139 men and 97 women, from 54 countries took part.-Individual:-Team:-Individual:-Team:...
.
After coming 32nd and 28th at the 1999 and 2000 World Cross Country events, she began to compete more in road and track competitions. She won the Phoenix 10K race in 1999. At the 2002 African Championships in Athletics
2002 African Championships in Athletics
The 13th African Championships in Athletics were held in Tunis and Radès, Tunisia in August, 2002.- Men's Results :-Field:-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics...
she was fourth in the 10,000 metres race and placed 17th at the 2002 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
2002 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 11th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on May 5, 2002 in the city of Brussels, Belgium. A total of 201 athletes, 123 men and 78 women, from 60 countries took part.-Individual:-Team:-Individual:-Team:...
. The following year she had her best finish at the World Cross Country event, taking tenth place in the women's long race
2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 31st IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 29-30 March 2003 in Lausanne and Avenches , Switzerland.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :...
as the fifth Ethiopian woman to finish is a near medal sweep.
Asha Gigi made her debut over the marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
distance in 2003 at the San Diego Marathon, where her time of 2:31:39 hours earned her a place for the national team. At the 2003 World Championships in Athletics
2003 World Championships in Athletics
The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:...
in Paris she came 19th and was part of the Ethiopian silver medal-winning team in the IAAF World Marathon Cup competition. The year after she was a lowly tenth at the Osaka Ladies Marathon but then made a breakthrough at the Paris Marathon
Paris Marathon
The Paris International Marathon is an annual marathon which takes place from the Champs-Élysées heading towards the Place de la Concorde and continuing through the city to finish at Foch Avenue....
, setting a personal best time of 2:26:02 hours to finish runner-up to Salina Kosgei
Salina Kosgei
Salina Jebet Kosgei is a long distance runner from Kenya. She is a Commonwealth Games gold medalist, has competed at the Olympics and has won various marathons, including the 2009 Boston Marathon.- Career :...
. She had her first Olympic selection, but did not manage to finish the marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics
Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics
At the 2004 Summer Olympics, the athletics events were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 18 to August 29, except for the marathons , the race walks , and the shot put...
. She also ran at the 2004 New York City Marathon
New York City Marathon
The New York City Marathon is a major annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with 45,103 finishers in 2010...
, but managed only 13th place.
She ran in Paris for a third year running in 2005 and came third in her second fastest time (2:27:41 hours). Her third consecutive national selection saw her give her career best finish on the global stage, as she came 16th in the marathon at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
2005 World Championships in Athletics
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
in Helsinki. She had a poor run at the Singapore Marathon
Singapore Marathon
The Singapore Marathon is an annual international marathon race which is held on the first Sunday of December in the city of Singapore. It is an IAAF Silver Label Road Race...
in December (2:46:14 hours) but returned to form in Paris in 2006 with a run of 2:32:35 hours for seventh place. She was fourth at that year's Berlin Marathon
Berlin Marathon
The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate...
(2:32:32) and was a late leader at the Tokyo Ladies Marathon, but failed to finish the race.
She recorded her third career sub-2:30 marathon in Paris in 2007 and her time of 2:29:11 hours brought her fourth place. Her first ever victory over the distance came at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon
Toronto Waterfront Marathon
The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is an annual marathon held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the last Sunday in September. Starting from 2011, the marathon will be held in October. The race day also includes a half marathon and 5 km race....
where, in spite of a fast early pace, she went on to break the course record with her time 2:33:15 hours. The 2008 season was one of her most successful: she ran her third fastest ever time (2:28:24) at the Dubai Marathon
Dubai Marathon
The Dubai Marathon is an annual marathon running race held in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.The race is held in January each year, the first being run on 14 January 2000...
, taking sixth place, was third at the Hamburg Marathon
Hamburg Marathon
The Hamburg Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of held in Hamburg, Germany. In 2009, 13,938 participants were counted.- History :The first edition took place in 1986 with about 8,000 participants...
in another sub-2:30 clocking, then was runner-up in her attempted defence at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. She also won the Prague Half Marathon
Prague Half Marathon
The Prague Half Marathon is an annual half marathon road running event which takes place in Spring on the city streets of Prague, Czech Republic. Known as the Hervis Prague Half Marathon for sponsorship reasons, it holds IAAF Gold Label Road Race status, making it the foremost race of its type in...
Her sole outing of 2009 was in Dubai, where she came 11th overall. After a break from running in 2010, she came sixth at the Xiamen International Marathon
Xiamen International Marathon
The Xiamen International Marathon is an annual marathon race held in January in the coastal city of Xiamen in Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It is one of the prominent marathon races of the year...
. Asha Gigi won the second marathon of her career at the 2011 Florence Marathon
Florence Marathon
The Florence Marathon is an annual full-length marathon race which takes place in late November in Florence, Italy. Established in 1984, the international competition has significantly grown in size since its inaugural edition of 462 runners – a total of 10,211 runners started the 2010 edition,...
, beating all opposition in a time of 2:31:36 hours.
Achievements
| Representing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | World Cross Country Championships 1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 22nd IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held on March 26, 1994 in Budapest, Hungary.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- External links :**... |
Budapest Budapest Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter... , Hungary Hungary Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The... |
19th | Long race |
| 2nd | Team competition | |||
| 1998 | World Half Marathon Championships 1998 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The 7th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on September 27, 1998 in the city of Uster, Switzerland. A total of 236 athletes, 139 men and 97 women, from 54 countries took part.-Individual:-Team:-Individual:-Team:... |
Uster Uster Uster is a city and capital of the district Uster in the Swiss Canton of Zürich.It is the third largest city in the Canton of Zürich, with over 30,000 inhabitants, and is one of the twenty largest cities in Switzerland... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
19th | Half marathon |
| 2002 | World Half Marathon Championships 2002 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The 11th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on May 5, 2002 in the city of Brussels, Belgium. A total of 201 athletes, 123 men and 78 women, from 60 countries took part.-Individual:-Team:-Individual:-Team:... |
Brussels Brussels Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union... , Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
17th | Half marathon |
| African Championships 2002 African Championships in Athletics The 13th African Championships in Athletics were held in Tunis and Radès, Tunisia in August, 2002.- Men's Results :-Field:-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics... |
Radès Radès Radès is a harbour city in Ben Arous Governorate, Tunisia. Situated 9 kilometres south-east of the capital Tunis, some consider it a Tunis suburb, and parts of the harbour installations of Tunis are located in Radès.... , Tunisia Tunisia Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area... |
4th | 10,000 m | |
| 2003 | World Cross Country Championships 2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 31st IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 29-30 March 2003 in Lausanne and Avenches , Switzerland.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :... |
Lausanne Lausanne Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
10th | Long race |
| World Championships 2003 World Championships in Athletics The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:... |
Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
19th | Marathon | |
| 2004 | Olympic Games Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics At the 2004 Summer Olympics, the athletics events were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 18 to August 29, except for the marathons , the race walks , and the shot put... |
Athens Athens Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state... , Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
DNF | Marathon Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's Marathon The Women's Marathon event at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place on August 22, 2004 in the streets of Athens, Greece. World record holder Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain started as favourite for the race, and led from the start. However, she was overtaken by Mizuki Noguchi, from Japan and... |
| 2005 | World Championships 2005 World Championships in Athletics The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of... |
Helsinki Helsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is... , Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
16th | Marathon 2005 World Championships in Athletics - Women's Marathon The Women's Marathon race at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics was held on 14 August in the streets of Helsinki with the goal line situated in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. Paula Radcliffe set the pace of the race, leading all the way from start to finish... |
| 2007 | Toronto Waterfront Marathon Toronto Waterfront Marathon The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is an annual marathon held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the last Sunday in September. Starting from 2011, the marathon will be held in October. The race day also includes a half marathon and 5 km race.... |
Toronto Toronto Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
1st | Marathon Marathon The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race... |
Personal bests
- 5000 metres5000 metresThe 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
- 15:37.38 min (1999) - 10,000 metres - 31:48.31 min (2003)
- Half marathonHalf marathonA half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
- 1:10:27 min (2005) - Marathon - 2:26:05 min (2004)