Ghirmay Ghebreslassie (Ge'ez: ግርማይ ገብረስላሰ, born 14 November 1995) is an Eritrean long distance runner. He won the 2015 World Championships in Athletics marathon in Beijing, China, becoming the youngest winner of the race at age 19 and became the first Eritrean to win a gold medal at the World Championships. On 6 November 2016, Ghirmay was the top men's finisher at the New York City Marathon, becoming the youngest male to ever win the race.[1]
 Ghebreslassie in 2015 | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 14 November 1995 Kisadeka, Eritrea | |||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||
| Country |  Eritrea | |||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field, long-distance running | |||||||||||
| Event(s) | 10,000 metres, marathon | |||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
editGhirmay was born on 14 November 1995 in Kisadeka, a village 115 km (71 mi) from the Eritrean capital Asmara. His talent was spotted by a physical education teacher who saw him running with his friends and encouraged him to take up running. Ghirmay was initially concerned this would affect his academics but was convinced he could follow in the footsteps of Zersenay Tadese and manage both. His father was opposed to his running but success on the track fixed this concern.[2][3]
Running career
editGhirmay placed 7th at the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships Junior men's race in Bydgoszcz, Poland. He also placed 7th at the 2014 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships senior men's race in Copenhagen, Denmark.[2]
On 22 August 2015, Ghirmay unexpectedly won the marathon race at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics, becoming the youngest ever world marathon winner, at the age of 19. He took the lead at the 36 km mark. As he entered Beijing National Stadium for the final lap, he was in a close race with Ethiopian Yemane Tsegay. Ghirmay was able to produce one final sprint in the last 100 m to outlast his competitor. He was running in only his fourth marathon.[4][5]
Ghirmay finished in fourth place at the 2016 London Marathon, achieving a personal best time of 2:07:46.[6][2]
Going into the 2016 Olympics, Ghirmay, by virtue of his world championship, was considered a medal contender in the Marathon event.[7] He placed fourth.[8]
On 6 November 2016, Ghirmay was the top men's finisher at the New York City Marathon, becoming the youngest male to ever win the race.[1]
| Race | Time | Place | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 metres (track) | 28:33.37 | Hengelo (Blankers-Koen Stadion) | 27 May 2012 |
| 10 kilometres (road) | 28:21 | Gothenburg | 18 May 2014 |
| 15 kilometres | 42:43 | Gothenburg | 18 May 2014 |
| 20 kilometres | 57:07 | Copenhagen | 29 March 2014 |
| Half marathon | 1:00:01 | Keren | 5 January 2014 |
| 25 kilometres | 1:13:42 | Chicago | 12 October 2014 |
| 30 kilometres | 1:28:13 | London | 24 April 2016 |
| Marathon | 2:05:34 | Sevilla | 20 February 2022 |
References
edit- ^ a b Aimee Berg (6 November 2016). "Ghirmay Ghebreslassie, 20, youngest male to win New York City Marathon". USA Today. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d "IAAF: Athlete profile for Ghirmay Ghebreslassie". iaaf.org. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ "Teen trailblazer". spikes.iaaf.org. 21 September 2015. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ "Ghirmay Ghebreslassie makes marathon history in Beijing". BBC. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ Phillips, Luke (22 August 2015). "Unheralded Eritrean teen bags first gold of athletics worlds". Business Insider. AFP. Archived from the original on 1 September 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- ^ Amy Willis (24 April 2016). "London Marathon results 2016: Who won and where did everyone else come?". Metro. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ "In The Marathons, Look For Duels Between The Kenyans And Ethiopians". National Public Radio. 13 August 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ Jere Longman (20 August 2016). "Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya Wins Marathon; Galen Rupp Takes Bronze". New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016.
External links
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