Belayneh Densamo (born 28 June 1965) is an Ethiopian former
long-distance runner, and a long-period world record holder for the
marathon discipline. He held
the world record for 10 years (1988-1998).
Early life
Belayneh was born in
Diramo Afarrara in
Sidamo, the southernmost province, and began first competing professionally at national level.
Career
Densamo broke the world record by 22 seconds with a time of 2:06:50 at the 1988
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 ...
, following three previous wins at major marathons 1986–1987. This record lasted the third-longest span ever recorded (and since the event was first professionally organized at the 1896
Olympics).
;Last victories
Densamo won two major international marathons in 1989 and in 1990. He was not among the three Ethiopian men who entered the
marathon in the 1992 Summer Olympics. He represented Ethiopia at the marathon at the
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
, as the world record holder in the relatively humid summer
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
conditions and was among 13 of a field of 130 who did not finish.
Belayneh Densamo
. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2 February 2015. Densamo's world record fell to Ronaldo da Costa
Ronaldo da Costa (born June 7, 1970) is a Brazilian former long-distance runner and world-record holder for the marathon distance. He was born in Descoberto.
Career
Da Costa broke the ten-year-old marathon world record in 1998 in Berlin, having be ...
at the Berlin Marathon
The Berlin Marathon (german: Berlin-Marathon, ) is a marathon event held annually on the streets of Berlin, Germany on the last weekend of September. Held annually since 1974, the event includes multiple races over the marathon distance of , inc ...
in 1998.
As of 2009, Belayneh lives in the area of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...
and has retired from international competition.
Achievements
*All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise
References
External links
Runners World
Running World Wall of Fame
1965 births
Living people
Ethiopian male long-distance runners
Ethiopian male marathon runners
Olympic athletes of Ethiopia
Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics
World record setters in athletics (track and field)
African Games gold medalists for Ethiopia
African Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
Goodwill Games medalists in athletics
Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 All-Africa Games
Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games
Olympic male marathon runners
20th-century Ethiopian people
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