Gezahegne Abera
Encyclopedia
Gezahegne Abera is an Ethiopia
n athlete, winner of the marathon race at the 2000 Summer Olympics
.
Born in Etya, Arsi Province
, Abera's first international competition was the 1999 Los Angeles
Marathon, where he finished fourth, behind three Kenya
ns. That earned him a place in the Ethiopian 1999 World Championships
team, where he finished eleventh.
Later in 1999 season, Abera won his first international marathon by finishing first at Fukuoka
marathon. He won this marathon again in 2001 and 2002. In 2000, Abera finished second in the Boston Marathon
.
At the Sydney
Olympics
, the marathon race came down to two Ethiopians, Abera and Tesfaye Tola
, and Kenyan Erick Wainaina. At the 37 km mark, Wainaina tried to make a break, but 2 km later Abera surged to the lead and held the position to the finishing lane. At 22 years old, Abera was the youngest marathon champion in Olympic history.
In 2001, Abera won the World Championships
by a mere second
ahead of Simon Biwott
from Kenya to become the first person to achieve an Olympics
-World Championships
marathon double.
At the 2003 World Championships
, Abera had to abandon the race due to injury, but he was selected in the Ethiopian 2004 Olympic
team. His wife Elfenesh Alemu
was also selected to the 2004 Olympic team.
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 athlete, winner of the marathon race at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
.
Born in Etya, Arsi Province
Arsi Province
Arsi was a province of Ethiopia with its capital at Asella. The province was reduced to a Zone of the Oromia Region with the adoption of the new constitution in 1995....
, Abera's first international competition was the 1999 Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
Marathon, where he finished fourth, behind three Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
ns. That earned him a place in the Ethiopian 1999 World Championships
1999 World Championships in Athletics
The 7th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Estadio Olímpico, Seville, Spain, between the August 20 and August 29....
team, where he finished eleventh.
Later in 1999 season, Abera won his first international marathon by finishing first at Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
marathon. He won this marathon again in 2001 and 2002. In 2000, Abera finished second in the Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
.
At the Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, the marathon race came down to two Ethiopians, Abera and Tesfaye Tola
Tesfaye Tola
Tesfaye Tola is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, most known for winning a bronze medal in marathon at the 2000 Summer Olympics...
, and Kenyan Erick Wainaina. At the 37 km mark, Wainaina tried to make a break, but 2 km later Abera surged to the lead and held the position to the finishing lane. At 22 years old, Abera was the youngest marathon champion in Olympic history.
In 2001, Abera won the World Championships
2001 World Championships in Athletics
The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...
by a mere second
Second
The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock....
ahead of Simon Biwott
Simon Biwott
Simon Biwott is a former long-distance runner from Kenya, who won the silver medal in the men's marathon at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics. The race in Edmonton, Canada was won by Ethiopia's reigning Olympic champion Gezahegne Abera. A year later Biwott won the Rotterdam Marathon...
from Kenya to become the first person to achieve an Olympics
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
-World Championships
IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations . Originally, it was organised every four years, but this changed in 1991, and it has since been organised biennially.-History:...
marathon double.
At the 2003 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:...
, Abera had to abandon the race due to injury, but he was selected in the Ethiopian 2004 Olympic
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...
team. His wife Elfenesh Alemu
Elfenesh Alemu
Elfenesh Alemu is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who specializes in the marathon race. She represented Ethiopia at the Summer Olympics in 2000 and 2004...
was also selected to the 2004 Olympic team.