News

Registration for Great Ethiopian Run opens Monday

(03/10/2006)

Great Ethiopian Run Registration Opens    

Tuesday 28^th September 2004

The organisers of the Great Ethiopian Run have announced the start of registration for the 2004 TOYOTA Great Ethiopian Run, which will take place on November 28, 2004 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

At the official Race Launch at the Hilton Addis on 24^th September, the organizers of this year’s race said that eight registration centres have been opened to allow the record 20,000 participants that are expected to take part in this year’s race.

The Great Ethiopian Run, which is taking place for the fourth year running, has attracted 12500, 16400, and 18000 participants respectively in the last three years.

Organizers also announced that they will organize the 2nd Women’s Run and other regional and youth races in a bid to popularise mass-participation running across the country.

The race, which started as an experiment in organising mass participation races three years ago, has now become of the country’s most important social events.

For more information please visit the Ethiopian Great Run website, www.ethiopiarun.org

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Dejene Smashes Great North Run Record    

Tuesday 28^th September 2004

Dejene Berhanu smashed the Great North Run course record and posted the fourth fastest time in history on Sunday 26^th September. He also became the first Ethiopian to win either the men’s or women’s races in the event held on Tyneside.

Dejene, who only decided to participate after last week’s World Cup final in Monaco, completed the half-marathon in a time of 59 minutes and 37 seconds after taking the lead after only five miles and knocking 21 seconds off the previous record set in 2002.

"I am very happy to be the first Ethiopian to win," said Dejene.   

In the Women’s race Derartu Tulu finished fourth in 1 hour 8 minutes and 35 seconds and Berhane Adere finished fifth in 1 hour 8 minutes and 48 seconds.  

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Kenenisa Named Male Athlete of the Year   

Tuesday 21st September 2004

Ethiopian Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele is 2004 Male Athlete of the Year. He won the International Association of Athletics Federation’s (IAAF) award at the 2004 World Athletics Gala at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte-Carlo on Sunday 19th September 2004.

Kenenisa was given the award in recognition of his exemplary performances in 2004, which included the 10,000m Olympic gold medal and the silver in the 5000m, his World 5000m & 10,000m records and World Indoor 5000m record.

“After so many great races and good results, it's very special that this award comes next for me," said Kenenisa when receiving the award.  "I'm very young and to win this prize, is very special at this age. I hope that in the future, I can do it again. "

"To finally win this is very exciting, and I'm very very happy," he said.

Nominations for the awards were made via a public poll on the IAAF website (www.iaaf.org) from Monday 13 to Friday 17 September. The names were whittled down to the top five candidates for each of the categories – Athletes of the Year: Men, Athletes of the Year: Women, Performance of the Year: Men, Performance of the Year: Women. The shortlist was then presented to the panel of the International Athletic Foundation (IAF) which was formed of Honorary President HSH Crown Prince Albert of Monaco, President Lamine Diack, Council Members Amadeo Francis and Dapeng Lou, and Honorary Member Giovanna Nebiolo.

It was this panel that made the final selection of the Athletes of the Year after consideration of results achieved.

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Olympic Medal Haul Puts Ethiopia First Among African Nations  

Tuesday 31st August 2004 

Ethiopia’s triumphant Olympic team returned home with seven medals on 30^th August to a warm welcome at Addis Ababa’s airport from government officials and cheering crowds.

The athletes, who won two gold, three silver and two bronze medals, were treated to the rapturous reception by the thousands of people who braved heavy rains to welcome home their Ethiopian heroes. Although the actual number of medals won is very slightly down on the haul from the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Ethiopia still maintained its place 1st position in the African medals chart and 28th position in the overall global table.

Kenenisa Bekele won Ethiopia’s first medal of the 28th Olympic games when he seized a victorious gold medal in the Men’s 10,000 metres, while fellow Ethiopian Sileshi Sihine took the silver. Kenenisa’s attempt to win an Olympic long-distance double was sadly unsuccessful, instead finishing with the silver medal in the Men’s 5000m.

Meseret Defar continued Ethiopia’s gold success by winning the Women’s 5000 metres final while compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba finished third. Sadly, Ejegayehou Dibaba just missed out on victory in the Women’s 10,000m finishing in second place, followed by Derartu Tulu in third.

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Ethiopia’s Olympic Success Continues

Tuesday 24th August 2004

Ethiopian athletes have once again taken two of the top three positions in an Olympic track event. Meseret Defar won the gold medal in the Women’s 5000 metres final on 23^rd August with a time of 14 minutes 45.65 seconds, while compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba finished third in 14 minutes 51.83 seconds. Sentayehu Ejigu finished in tenth place after 15 minutes 9.55 seconds.

Tirunesh Dibaba (L), Meseret Defar (C) and Sentayehu Ejigu (R) after the Women’s 5000 metres at the Athens Olympics on Monday 23^rd August 2004.

This latest victory makes Ethiopia the leading African nation so far (as of 21:35 on 23rd August) in terms of medals haul, and 22^nd in overall position.

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Seconds Separate Ethiopia from Triple Triumph

Monday 23rd August 2004

Ethiopian athletes took both gold and silver medals in the Men’s 10,000 metres at the Athens Olympics on 20^th August 2004.

Kenenisa Bekele sprinted the last lap to victory, finishing in 27 minutes and 5.10 seconds, while fellow Ethiopian Sileshi Sihine followed with a time of 27:09.39.

Sadly, Ethiopia was denied a triple triumph as Haile Gebrselassie was unable to turn his final appearance on the track into his hoped-for victorious swansong, and missed the bronze by just five seconds with his time of 27:27.70.

Sileshi Sihine (L), Haile Gebrselassie (C) and Kenenisa Bekele (R) competing in the Men’s 10,000 metres at the Athens Olympics on Friday 20^th August 2004.

Doubt had been cast on whether Haile would be competing due to an injury he sustained while training last month, and then subsequently aggravated by his participation in the 5,000m race at the London Grand Prix in Crystal Palace on 30^th July which he won. Although now retired from track athletic competitions, Haile will now concentrate on marathon running.

Of his victory, Kenenisa said, “it is great to be Olympic champion but I will run differently in the 5,000m.” He is due to run in the 5,000 metres - the heats of which take place on 25^th, with the final on 28^th August.

His 10,000m gold is the latest achievement in what has been a very successful year for Kenenisa, who had already broken Haile’s 5,000m and 10,000m world records.

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Haile WILL Compete Tonight

Friday 20th August 2004

Haile Gebrselassie will be taking part in tonight’s 10,000 metres final at the Athens Olympic Games despite a recent injury. He is hoping to win his third consecutive Olympic gold medal for the race, in what will be his last track athletics competition. He previously won gold in Sydney in 2000 and Atlanta in 1996.

Doubt had been cast on whether Haile would be competing due to a foot injury he sustained while training last month, which was then aggravated by his participation in the 5,000m race at the London Grand Prix in Crystal Palace on 30^th July.

“I will run on Friday and we’ll see what happens,” he told reporters in Athens. “But if it was any other race I wouldn’t have come. I would have withdrawn [but] the Olympics only come round once every four years.” He admitted he was not at the same level of fitness that he had been when he won his previous Olympic titles, as he has had to cut back his training due to the injury. “I will try and I’ll do my best,” he said.

Haile will be competing against Kenenisa Bekele, who broke his 5,000m and 10,000m world records earlier this year.

The 10,000 metres final takes place at 20:35 (BST) tonight.

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The Games Begin...

Friday 13th August 2004

The Opening Ceremony of the 28th Olympic Games takes place this evening in Athens.

However, the first Athletics events do not take place until Wednesday 18th August.

If you are interested in the competitions in which the Ethiopian Athletic Team will be competing, you may like to keep an eye out for the following races:

The Ethiopians are coming

Thursday 12th August 2004

The 27 athlete-strong Olympic team that is competing in the 2004 Olympics in Athens has been named by the Ethiopian Athletics Federation. Among them are Olympic 10,000m Champions Haile Gebrselassie and Derartu Tulu. Recent form is indicated by Tulu running an impressive 30.51.07 at the 10,000m in Spain on 11th July, the world’s 4th fastest time in 2004. Meanwhile,  Gebrselassie won the 5000m at Crystal Palace on 30th July.

Almost all of the 27 athletes selected competed at last year’s IAAF World Championships in Paris, with men’s 5,000m Dejene Berhanu being the only newcomer to the squad. Ethiopia’s athletics team were last year placed 3rd in the overall medal standings with eight medals (three gold, three silver, and two bronze) behind the USA and Russia.

In the men's team, world 5,000m and 10,000m record holder Kenenisa Bekele is picked at both distances. He goes to Athens as Ethiopia’s strongest bet for gold, having been undefeated in his last fourteen races which have included three world records and an unprecedented third “double” victory at the world cross-country championships. Keninisa lines up in the 10,000m alongside Haile Gebreselassie and Sileshi Sihin, who picked up silver and bronze respectively at 10,000m in Paris last year.

Ethiopia’s Men’s Marathon team is led by reigning Olympic champion Gezahagne Abera who has now recovered from the Achilles injury that caused him to drop out of the London Marathon in April. He proved his fitness by winning a 40km time trial for Ethiopia’s marathon hopefuls held in Addis Ababa a few weeks ago. Perhaps Ethiopia’s best medal chance at the marathon, however, rests with Abera's wife Elfinesh Alemu who won last November’s Tokyo Marathon and was 2nd at Boston in April.

Tirunesh Dibaba, still only 18, became the youngest-ever individual world championship gold medalist in Paris last year and will now seek to become the first Ethiopian woman to win an Olympic 5,000m title.

Improving on the 8-medal haul (4 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze) from the Sydney Games four years ago may seem like a stiff challenge for Ethiopia’s athletes at the 2004 Games but in view of their results over the past 12 months and their team preparations of the past 10 weeks they may yet achieve that goal. The full team list follows.

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