Lelisa Desisa
Encyclopedia
Lelisa Desisa Benti (born 14 January 1990) is an Ethiopia
n long-distance runner who specialises in road running
competitions. He gained his first international medal at the 2009 African Junior Athletics Championships
, where he took the 10,000 metres gold medal
.
Desisa made his breakthrough on to the senior international scene at road races in 2010, beginning with a sub-60 minute run for third place at the Zayed International Half Marathon
in January. He engaged Wilson Kiprop
in a sprint finish at the Paris Half Marathon
two months later, ending up in second place. He took to the United States
road circuit and was sixth at the Crescent City Classic
before taking the runner-up spot at the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run behind Stephen Tum. He won the Ottawa 10K in May and led an Ethiopian podium sweep with a win at the Bolder Boulder
two days later. That July, he came third in a sprint for the line at the Peachtree Road Race
and won the Boilermaker Road Race
in Utica
in a course record time. He received his first senior international call-up for the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
. He came seventh overall, recording a time of 1:01:28 alongside his compatriot Birhanu Bekele to secure the team bronze medal
for the Ethiopians. He set a new half marathon best (59:39 minutes) in November at the Delhi Half Marathon and finished one second behind winner Geoffrey Mutai
.
He came close to a personal best at the World's Best 10K in February 2011, taking third place in a time of 28:02 minutes. This served as preparation for the City-Pier-City Loop
in March, where he came out on top in a five-man sprint finish to record a personal best of 59:37 minutes for the half marathon. In a two-day period he won the Cooper River Bridge Run
and then broke the course record at the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler, improving upon a mark which had stood for 16 years. That June he reached the podium at the World 10K Bangalore
, coming third behind Kenyan opposition. He was not selected for the World Championships that year, but instead won the half marathon at the 2011 All-Africa Games
held that same month. In November he returned to Delhi and ran a best of 59:30 minutes to win the half marathon race, beating Geoffrey Kipsang by a second.
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 road running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
competitions. He gained his first international medal at the 2009 African Junior Athletics Championships
2009 African Junior Athletics Championships
The 2009 African Junior Athletics Championships were held in Bambous, Mauritius from 30 July to 2 August. There were 41 events in total, of which 21 were contested by male athletes and 20 by female athletes. Multiple gold medallists Caster Semenya and Amaka Ogoegbunam broke championships records,...
, where he took the 10,000 metres 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...
.
Desisa made his breakthrough on to the senior international scene at road races in 2010, beginning with a sub-60 minute run for third place at the Zayed International Half Marathon
Zayed International Half Marathon
The Zayed International Half Marathon is an annual road running competition which takes place in January in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The inaugural edition of the half marathon race, named after Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, was held in 2008...
in January. He engaged Wilson Kiprop
Wilson Kiprop
Wilson Kiprop is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who specializes in the 10,000 metres and half marathon. He was the world champion at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 2010 and was the 10,000 m gold medalist at the 2010 African Championships in Athletics.He started competing at the...
in a sprint finish at the Paris Half Marathon
Paris Half Marathon
Paris Half Marathon is an annual half marathon held every March in Paris, France. It currently holds IAAF Bronze Label status....
two months later, ending up in second place. He took to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
road circuit and was sixth at the Crescent City Classic
Crescent City Classic
The Crescent City Classic is an annual 10-kilometer race held on Easter weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States....
before taking the runner-up spot at the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run behind Stephen Tum. He won the Ottawa 10K in May and led an Ethiopian podium sweep with a win at the Bolder Boulder
Bolder Boulder
The Bolder Boulder is an annual 10-kilometer road race in Boulder, Colorado. The origin of the name is unknown. The most recent race featured over 54,000 runners, walkers, and wheelchair racers, making it the largest race in the US in which all participants are timed and the fifth largest road race...
two days later. That July, he came third in a sprint for the line at the Peachtree Road Race
Peachtree Road Race
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race 10K is a 10 kilometer road race held annually in Atlanta, Georgia on July 4, Independence Day. The Peachtree Road Race was until recently the world's largest 10 kilometer race , a title it has held since the late 1970s...
and won the Boilermaker Road Race
Boilermaker Road Race
The Boilermaker Road Race is a USATF-certified race in Utica, New York, United States. The race attracts elite runners from all over the world as well as runners from across the country....
in Utica
Utica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
in a course record time. He received his first senior international call-up for the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held in Nanning, China on 16 October 2010. The competition took place on the city streets, beginning and ending at Wuxiang Square, with a total prize purse of US$245,000 at stake....
. He came seventh overall, recording a time of 1:01:28 alongside his compatriot Birhanu Bekele to secure the team bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
for the Ethiopians. He set a new half marathon best (59:39 minutes) in November at the Delhi Half Marathon and finished one second behind winner Geoffrey Mutai
Geoffrey Mutai
Geoffrey Kiprono Mutai is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in road running competitions...
.
He came close to a personal best at the World's Best 10K in February 2011, taking third place in a time of 28:02 minutes. This served as preparation for the City-Pier-City Loop
City-Pier-City Loop
The CPC Loop Den Haag is an annual half marathon competition held in the Hague, Netherlands, every mid-March....
in March, where he came out on top in a five-man sprint finish to record a personal best of 59:37 minutes for the half marathon. In a two-day period he won the Cooper River Bridge Run
Cooper River Bridge Run
The Cooper River Bridge Run is an annual one-way road running event held in the cities of Mount Pleasant and Charleston in South Carolina, on the first Saturday in April, unless it is the day before Easter Sunday, when the event is held on the last Saturday in March...
and then broke the course record at the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler, improving upon a mark which had stood for 16 years. That June he reached the podium at the World 10K Bangalore
World 10K Bangalore
The World 10K Bangalore is an annual 10 kilometres road running competition which takes place in Bangalore, India. The competition was first held in 2008 and usually takes place in late May...
, coming third behind Kenyan opposition. He was not selected for the World Championships that year, but instead won the half marathon at the 2011 All-Africa Games
Athletics at the 2011 All-Africa Games
The athletics competition at the 2011 All-Africa Games was held from 11–15 September 2011 at the Estádio do Zimpeto in Maputo, Mozambique.-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:-Elite competition:-Para-sport competition:-Games statistics:...
held that same month. In November he returned to Delhi and ran a best of 59:30 minutes to win the half marathon race, beating Geoffrey Kipsang by a second.
Personal bests
- 3000 metres3000 metresThe 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...
- 8:33.72 min (2009) - 10 km (road) - 27:57 min (2010)
- 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...
- 59:30 min (2011)