Bashir Abdi (born 10 February 1989) is a Somali-born

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

athlete who specializes in

long-distance running Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance running comes two d ...

. He won bronze medals in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

at the

2020 Tokyo Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

and 2022 World Championships. In doing so, Abdi became both the first ever Belgian world championship medal winner at the marathon and the first Belgian male athlete to win an individual medal at both the Olympic Games and World Athletics Championships. He was also the silver medalist in the

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The race ...

at the 2018 European Championships. He is the current European record holder in the marathon, holds the other European best and one other Belgian record.

Personal life

Abdi was born in

El Afweyn El Afweyn ( so, Ceelafweyn, ) is a town in the Sanaag region of Somaliland. El Afweyn is a major historical town in western Sanaag region and sits at the major road connecting the cities of Burao and Erigavo. By road, the town is approximately 28 ...

Somaliland Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...

, a town mainly inhabited by the

Habr Je'lo The Habr Je'lo ( so, Habar Jeclo, ar, هبر جعلو , Full Name: ''Mūsa ibn ash-Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad,'' historically known as the Habr Toljaala ( so, Habar Toljeclo) is a major sub-tribe of the wider Isaaq family. Its members form p ...

clan of the

Isaaq The Isaaq (also Isaq, Ishaak, Isaac) ( so, Reer Sheekh Isxaaq, ar, بني إسحاق, Banī Isḥāq) is a Somali clan. It is one of the major Somali clans in the Horn of Africa, with a large and densely populated traditional territory. Per ...

clan-family. When he was eight, his family moved to

Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...

. He then spent a year and a half in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

, before settling in Belgium. There, aged 16, he started training at the Racing Club Gent Athletics, following his brother Ibrahim. Abdi is married and has a daughter, Kadra, born 2018, and a son Ibrahim; born 2020. He is a co-founder and vice-chairman of the non-profit organization Sportaround, which organizes after-school sports activities for children in

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

Running career

2014–2017

Abdi entered the 10,000 m 2014 European athletics championships with the European leading time set on 4 May. In May 2015, he qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics. At the Games, Abdi competed in both the men's 5000m and 10,000m. He finished 20th in the 10,000m final, a race won by Great Britain's

Mo Farah Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah (born Hussein Abdi Kahin; 23 March 1983) is a British long-distance runner. His ten global championship gold medals (four Olympic and six World titles) make him the most successful male track distance runner ever ...

. In 2017, he competed in the London

2017 World Championships in athletics Seventeen or 17 may refer to: * 17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japane ...

in the men's 5000m, placing 6th in his heat.

2018–2019: Beginning of marathon career

In 2018, Abdi made his marathon debut at the

Rotterdam Marathon The Rotterdam Marathon, currently branded NN Rotterdam Marathon, is an annual marathon that has been held in Rotterdam, Netherlands since 1981. It has been held in April every year since the third edition in 1984 and attracts many top athletes. ...

, placing 7th in 2:10:46. The race was won by Kenya's

Kenneth Kipkemoi Kenneth Kiprop Kipkemoi (born 2 August 1984) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the 10,000 metres, the half marathon, and the marathon. He was the 2012 African champion in the 10,000 m, has a half marathon best of 59:11 mi ...

in 2:05:44. In August 2018, he won silver in the 10,000 metres at the

2018 European Athletics Championships The 2018 European Athletics Championships were held in Berlin, Germany, from 6 to 12 August 2018. The championships were part of the first European Championships with other events happening in the United Kingdom. For the second Championships in a ...

. In the autumn Abdi raced several road races placing 3rd at the

Great North Run The Great North Run (branded the Simplyhealth Great North Run for sponsorship purposes) is the largest half marathon in the world, taking place annually in North East England each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South ...

half marathon in 1:00:42, 4th at the

Dam tot Damloop Dam tot Damloop (''Dam to Dam Run'' in English) is an annual road running competition held in North Holland in the Netherlands. It is a Silver Label 10-mile race from Amsterdam to Zaandam. The event was first held as a fun run event in 1985 and ...

10 miler in 46:08, 5th in the Nijmegen Zevenheuvelenloop 15km in 43:40 and 3rd at the Heerenberg

Montferland Run Pfixx Solar Montferland Run is an annual 15-kilometres road running competition held in 's-Heerenberg, Montferland, Netherlands. It was first organised in 1996 and typically takes place on the first Sunday in December. Unlike many elite level road ...

15km in 43:40.Bashir ABDI
worldathletics.org In 2019, he was second at the Vitality Big Half Marathon in 1:01:16 in a close finish with race winner Mo Farah and 3rd placer Daniel Wanjiru. Abdi then competed in the 2019 London Marathon, placing 7th in 2:07:03 in a race won by Kenya's

Eliud Kipchoge Eliud Kipchoge ( ; born 5 November 1984) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and formerly specialized at the 5000 metre distance. Widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner of all time, he is the 2016 and 2020 ...

in 2:02:37. In August, he was second in the Beach to Beacon 10km in the United States, finishing in 28:35. The race was initially won by Kenya's

Alex Korio Alex Korio (born 20 December 1990) is a Kenyan long-distance runner. In 2019, he competed in the men's 10,000 metres at the 2019 World Athletics Championships held in Doha, Qatar. He finished in 11th place. In 2016, he won the men's race at the ...

, however he was disqualified. Jairus Birech came in second. Abdi headed back to

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

where he raced the Great North Run half marathon finishing 5th in 1:01:11, the race was won by Mo Farah. In October, Abdi ran in the

2019 Chicago Marathon The 2019 Chicago Marathon was the 42nd annual running of the Chicago Marathon held in Chicago, Illinois, United States on October 13, 2019. The men's race was won by Kenyan Lawrence Cherono in 2:05:45 while the women's was won by Kenyan Brigid K ...

, finishing 5th in 2:06:14, the race was won by Kenya's

Lawrence Cherono Lawrence Cherono (born August 7, 1988) is a Kenyan long-distance runner. He is currently the 8th fastest marathon performer of all time with his 2:03:04 clocking at the 2020 Valencia Marathon. He clocked 2:04:06 to win the Amsterdam Marathon on ...

in 2:05:45 in a sprint finish. Abdi next raced at the

15km placing 5th in 42:29. On New Year's Eve in Spain he won the

San Silvestre Vallecana The San Silvestre Vallecana is an annual 10 km road race held on 31 December in Madrid, Spain since 1964. It has two editions: a fun run A fun run is a friendly race that involves either road running or cross country running with partic ...

10km in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

in 27:47.

2020–present: Marathon breakthrough

Abdi opened his 2020 racing campaign by winning the

Egmond Half Marathon The Egmond Half Marathon ( nl, Egmond Halve Marathon) is an annual half marathon race over 21.1 kilometres that has been staged in Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands since 1973. The competition normally takes place in early January. Sections of the road ...

. He then achieved his first marathon podium position by placing 2nd in the

2020 Tokyo Marathon The 2020 Tokyo Marathon ( ja, 東京マラソン2020) was the fourteenth edition of the annual marathon race in Tokyo, and was held on Sunday, 1 March. A World Athletics Platinum Label Road Race, it was the first World Marathon Majors event he ...

in a new personal best time of 2:04:49. He passed Ethiopia's

Sisay Lemma Sisay Lemma Kasaye (born 12 December 1990) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. Career Sisay Lemma began his running career at the age of 17 and initially competed barefoot due to a lack of running shoes. In 2012, he won the Maratona d� ...

in the closing stages to finish behind the race winner Ethiopia's

Birhanu Legese Birhanu Legese Gurmesa (born 11 September 1994) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He won the 2019 and 2020 Tokyo Marathon and finished second at the 2019 Berlin Marathon. Legese is currently part of the NN Running Team, which is managed ...

who ran a time of 2:04:15. Abdi returned to the track in September competing at the

Memorial Van Damme The Memorial Van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, that takes place in late August or early September. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now the final event of the Diamond L ...

in the one hour race. He ran the majority of the race with Mo Farah, taking the lead and setting a European record at 20,000m of 56:20.02. He finished second behind Farah setting a mark of 21322 metres. In 2021, Abdi was second behind Farah at the Djibouti International Half Marathon in 1:03:11. He then placed second at the European 10,000 m Cup in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

in a new personal best of 27:24.41. This performance qualified him for the 10,000 m event at the delayed

2020 Tokyo Olympic Games The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

; however, at the Olympics he focused on the marathon, winning a bronze medal. In October 2021, Abdi won the rescheduled

, setting a European record in the marathon of 2:03:36. Bashir Abdi Oregon 2022

In April 2022, he placed fourth at the Rotterdam Marathon. Abdi earned his first medal at a

World Marathon Major The World Marathon Majors (WMM) (known for sponsorship reasons as the Abbott World Marathon Majors) is a championship-style competition for marathon runners that started in 2006. A points-based competition founded on six major marathon races reco ...

by placing third at the 2022 London Marathon in October with a time of 2:05:19.

Competition record

Personal bests

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abdi, Bashir 1989 births Living people Sportspeople from Mogadishu Belgian male long-distance runners Somalian male long-distance runners Belgian male cross country runners Somalian male cross country runners Belgian male marathon runners Somalian male marathon runners Somalian emigrants to Belgium Olympic athletes of Belgium Olympic bronze medalists for Belgium Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for Belgium Black Belgian sportspeople Naturalised citizens of Belgium