Tesfaye Abera
Tesfaye Abera Dibaba (born 31 March 1992) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in marathons. His personal best of 2:04:24 hours ranks him in the all-time top ten, as of 2016. He has won marathons in Dubai, Hamburg and Mumbai. He twice represented Ethiopia at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, taking the team title in 2013 and in 2015.
Personal information | |
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Born | 31 March 1992 31)[1] Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | (age
Height | 192 cm (6 ft 4 in)[2] |
Weight | 68 kg (150 lb) |
Sport | |
Sport | Athletics |
Event(s) | 10,000 m – marathon |
Achievements and titles | |
Personal best(s) | 10,000 m – 29:50.1 (2011) 10 km – 28:21 (2013) HM – 60:32 (2012) Marathon – 2:04:24 (2016)[3] |
Career
Tesfaye began competing in foreign road races in 2011 and placed sixth at that year's Singelloop Utrecht. He set a half marathon best of 60:32 minutes to place third at the Nice Half Marathon and also took third at the Buenos Aires Half Marathon. In 2013, a fifth-place finish at the Jan Meda International earned him selection for Ethiopia at the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. On his international debut he finished 14th and helped Ethiopia to the team title. He ran in several European road races later that year but failed to place in the top three at all but the Corrida de Langueux,[4] where he was the winner.[5] His 2014 was low-key, as he neither improved his bests nor had a podium finish.[4]
The 2015 marked a breakthrough for Tesfaye as he won his marathon debut with a run of 2:09:46 hours at the Mumbai Marathon.[6] He was reselected for the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, but failed to build on his previous success, ending in 26th place.[7] He ran in two further marathons that year, taking eighth at the high-profile Hamburg Marathon (2:10:49) and the runner-up spot and the lower level Hengshui Lake International Marathon (2:10:00).[4]
The 2016 season marked a sudden improvement for Tesfaye's running. Opening at the Dubai Marathon, he led in a very fast-paced race and out-sprinted defending champion Lemi Berhanu Hayle in the final section to win 2:04:24 hours. This was one second off the course record and represented a personal best by over five minutes.[8][9] The time moved him into ninth place on the all-time marathon lists and third among Ethiopians, after Dubai course record holder Ayele Abshero and former world record holder Haile Gebrselassie.[10] He continued his winning ways at the Hamburg Marathon that April, beating Philemon Rono with another quick run of 2:06:58 hours.[11]
International competitions
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | World Cross Country Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 14th | Senior race | 33:35 |
1st | Senior team | 38 pts | |||
2015 | Mumbai Marathon | Mumbai, India | 1st | Marathon | 2:09:46 |
World Cross Country Championships | Guiyang, China | 26th | Senior race | 36:59 | |
Hamburg Marathon | Hamburg, Germany | 8th | Marathon | 2:10:49 | |
Hengshui Lake Marathon | Hengshui, China | 2nd | Marathon | 2:10:00 | |
2016 | Dubai Marathon | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | 1st | Marathon | 2:04:24 |
Hamburg Marathon | Hamburg, Germany | 1st | Marathon | 2:06:58 | |
Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | — | Marathon | DNF | |
2017 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 18th | Marathon | 2:16:09 |
Amsterdam Marathon | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 8th | Marathon | 2:07:39 |
Road race wins
- Corrida de Langueux: 2013
- Mumbai Marathon: 2015
- Dubai Marathon: 2016
- Hamburg Marathon: 2016
References
- Tesfaye Abera. nbcolympics.com
- Tesfaye Abera. rio2016.com
- Tesfaye Abera. All-Athletics. Retrieved on 19 April 2016.
- Tesfaye Abera Dibaba. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 19 April 2016.
- Vazel, Pierre-Jean (23 June 2013). Abera and Eticha secure Ethiopian double in Langueux. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-04-19.
- G. Viswanath (19 January 2015). Abera, Mekash triumph. The Hindu. Retrieved on 2016-04-19.
- Tesfaye Abera. IAAF. Retrieved on 19 April 2016.
- Mulkeen, Jon (22 January 2016). Ethiopia's Abera and Tsegaye triumph at Dubai Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-04-19.
- The Marathon World Record Survives But 30k WR Falls As Unknown Tesfaye Abera Comes From Behind To Win Dubai Marathon In 2:04:24. Let's Run (22 January 2016). Retrieved on 2016-04-19.
- senior outdoor Marathon men All Time Best. IAAF. Retrieved on 19 April 2016.
- Beating the winds, Melkamu and Abera cruise to fast victories in Hamburg. IAAF (17 April 2016). Retrieved on 2016-04-19.