Birhanu Legese Gurmesa (born 11 September 1994) is an Ethiopian

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

. He won the

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

and

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 ...

and finished second at the 2019 Berlin Marathon. Legese is currently part of the

NN Running Team NN Running Team is a professional running team based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 2017 by Jos Hermens, the director of Global Sports Communication. The team's title sponsor is the Dutch insurance company NN Group. The running team include ...

, which is managed by Global Sports Communication.

Career

Born and raised in Woliso, around 100 km south west of

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

, Birhanu Legese started out as an talented sprinter, winning area

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

and 200 m titles. In 2012, he ran

10 kilometres 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit (measurement), unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment ...

races, finishing second at the

Great Ethiopian Run The Great Ethiopian Run ( am, ታላቁ ሩጫ በኢትዮጵያ) is an annual 10-kilometre road running event which takes place in late November in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Overview The competition was first envisioned by neighbors Ethiopian runn ...

and, in his international debut, winning the

Corrida de Houilles The Corrida de Houilles, officially ''Corrida pédestre internationale de Houilles'' (Houilles International Footrace), is an annual 10K run that takes place at the end of December in Houilles, France. The competition was created in 1972 by Alexa ...

in France. In 2013, the then 18-year-old finished second in the 10 km in

Taroudant Taroudant (; ar, تارودانت, Latn, ar, tārūdānt, ) is a city in the Sous Valley in south western Morocco. It is situated east of Agadir on the road to Ouarzazate and the Sahara desert and south of Marrakesh. The town is known as the "Gr ...

, Morocco with a time of 27:34, the third-fastest 10 km road time in the world for 2013. In 2015, Legese claimed victory at the

Berlin Half Marathon The Berlin Half Marathon is a major endurance event held annually in early spring in Berlin, Germany. Besides the runner's main race, the event includes a race for inline skaters, wheelchair athletes and handbikers. All athletes use the same co ...

(59:45) before winning

Delhi Half Marathon Airtel Delhi Half Marathon (ADHM) is an annual half marathon foot-race held in New Delhi, India. Established in 2005, it is both an elite runner and mass participation event. It is an AIMS-certified course and is listed as a Gold Label Road Rac ...

in a time of 59:20, the joint third-fastest time in the world that year. Further half marathon victories followed at the

Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon is an annual half marathon held in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. History The first event, in 2007, saw Samuel Wanjiru breaking the world record, but Wanjiru himself set a new world record only a month later in ...

in the United Arab Emirates in 2016 (1:00:40) and New Delhi once again in 2017 (59:46). In January 2018, Legese made his

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 ...

debut at the

Dubai Marathon The Dubai Marathon is an annual road-based marathon hosted by Dubai, United Arab Emirates, since 1998. The marathon is categorized as a Gold Label Road Race by World Athletics. History Initial era The inaugural Dubai Marathon was held ...

, finishing sixth with a time of 2:04:15. In March 2019, the 24-year-old claimed his biggest victory up to that point by winning his first

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 ...

at the

Tokyo Marathon The is an annual marathon sporting event in Tokyo, the capital of Japan. It is a World Athletics Platinum Label marathon and one of the six World Marathon Majors. The latest edition of the race took place on . It is sponsored by Tokyo Metro. H ...

by a two-minute margin, clocking 2:04:48 despite cold and rainy conditions. In September that year, Legese finished second 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 , inclu ...

with a time of 2:02:48 to move to third on the world all-time list behind only

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 ...

and

Kenenisa Bekele Kenenisa Bekele ( om, Qananiisaa baqqalaa; am, ቀነኒሳ በቀለ; born 13 June 1982) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He was the world record holder in both the 5000-metre and 10000-metre from 2004 (5,000m) and 2005 (10,000m) unti ...

. He successfully defended his title at the

by winning the race with a time of 2:04:15. He ran 2:03:16 for third at the

Valencia Marathon The Valencia Marathon (also known as Marathon Valencia Trinidad Alfonso EDP for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon road running event hosted by Valencia, Spain since 1981. It is categorized as a Platinum Label Road Race by World Athletic ...

in December that year. Legese placed fifth at the

2021 London Marathon The 2021 London Marathon was the 41st running of the annual London Marathon on 3 October 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the race was postponed from April until October to maximise the chances of a mass participation event. The elite even ...

, and sixth at the

2022 London Marathon The 2022 London Marathon was the 42nd running of the annual London Marathon on 2 October 2022. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the race was postponed from April until October to maximise the chances of a mass participation event. The elite men's a ...

Marathon performances

* 2018

– 2:04:15 (6th) * 2018 Chicago Marathon – 2:08:41 (10th) *

2019 Tokyo Marathon The 2019 Tokyo Marathon ( ja, 東京マラソン 2019) was the thirteenth edition of the annual marathon race in Tokyo and was held on Sunday, 3 March. An IAAF Gold Label Road Race, it was the first World Marathon Majors event to be held that yea ...

– 2:04:48 (1st) * 2019 Berlin Marathon – 2:02:48 (2nd) *

– 2:04:15 (1st) * 2020

– 2:03.16 (3rd) *

– 2:06.10 (5th) *

– 2:06.11 (6th)

Personal bests

Birhanu Legese's personal bests are:

References

External links

*
Birhanu Legese profile
(

) {{DEFAULTSORT:Legese, Birhanu Living people Ethiopian male long-distance runners 1994 births Sportspeople from Oromia Region 21st-century Ethiopian people