Dejene Yirdaw (born 21 August 1978 in

Tulu Bolo Tulu Bolo ( Oromo: Tullu Bolloo) is a town located in the Southwest Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region, Ethiopia. It has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2193 meters or 7195 feet above sea level. It is the largest settlement in Bec ...

) 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 ...

who specialises 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 ...

. He represented Ethiopia at the

2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg ...

and has won the

Gyeongju International Marathon The Gyeongju International Marathon is an annual road running event over the marathon distance (42.195 km) which takes place in mid-October in Gyeongju, South Korea. It gained IAAF Silver Label Road Race status in 2010. First held in 1993, t ...

and the Kosice Peace Marathon. He personal best for the distance is 2 hours and 8:30 minutes.

Career

His first top level appearances came in 2007: he ran at the Nedbank

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State (province), Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legisla ...

in April, coming seventh with a time of 1:03:51, and then in October he entered into his first

race, the

Dublin Marathon The Dublin Marathon is an annual 26.2 mile (42.2 km) road marathon in Dublin, Ireland, held on the last Sunday in October. Prior to 2016, the race took place on the last Monday in October, which is a public holiday in Ireland. Held each yea ...

, and managed to finish in third place with a time of 2:11:08. He competed in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

for the first time the following year and his run of 2:14:20 was enough for second place behind Michael Aish at the

Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon The Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon is a marathon held annually in Arizona on the Sunday before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day that links three cities of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area: Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe. The marathon race can be us ...

. The Kosice Peace Marathon was the venue for his third outing over the distance that October, and he seized control of the race, outrunning even the official pacemaker ( David Makori). He completed his first win over the distance in a personal best time of 2:10:51 and became only the third Ethiopian to win the men's race, breaking an almost forty-year dry spell since

Abebe Bikila ''Shambel'' Abebe Bikila ( am, ሻምበል አበበ ቢቂላ; August 7, 1932 – October 25, 1973) was an Ethiopian marathon runner who was a back-to-back Olympic marathon champion. He is the first Ethiopian Olympic gold medalist, winnin ...

and Demissie Wolde's wins in the 1960s. His performance at the

Seoul International Marathon The Seoul International Marathon, also known as the ''Dong-A Ilbo Seoul Marathon or Seoul Marathon'' is an annual marathon race that takes place in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of two annual races over the 42.195 km classic distance in the ...

in 2009 gave Dejene a number of scalps over quicker, more established runners. Knocking almost two and a half minutes of his personal best, Dejene was the only athlete to pursue the eventual winner Moses Arusei. Finishing as the runner-up with a time of 2:08:30, he had beaten pre-race favourites Jason Mbote and

Paul Biwott Paul Biwott (born 18 April 1978) is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who specialises in road running, particularly the marathon. Biography Among his earliest victories was the 2001 Route du Vin Half Marathon, which he won in a time of 1:03:05. He ...

by a margin of two minutes. He was selected for the Ethiopian men's marathon team at the

, earning his first major national selection at the age of 30. He finished in 15th place as the third fastest Ethiopian in 2:15:09, a time which (alongside Tsegay Kebede and

Yemane Tsegay Yemane Adhane Tsegay (born 8 April 1985) is an Ethiopian long distance runner who specialises in the marathon. He won the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon with a personal best time of 2:04:48 hours. He has also won marathons in Eindhoven, Gyeongju, ...

) helped Ethiopia to the team

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

as part of the Marathon World Cup section of the race. He began his 2010 season 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 ...

in January and finished in seventh place. He ran over 20 km at the 20 van Alphen race in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and managed second place behind Bernard Chepkok with a best of 58:22 for the distance. At the

he completed his second sub-2:10 clocking to win the race in 2:09:13, holding off a challenge from Moroccan runner Abdellah Falil.Jalava, Mirko (2010-10-17)
Yirdaw takes 2:09:13 victory at Gyeongju International Marathon

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

. Retrieved on 2010-10-18.

References

External links

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Marathon Info profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yirdaw, Dejene 1978 births Living people Ethiopian male long-distance runners Ethiopian male marathon runners Sportspeople from Oromia Region 20th-century Ethiopian people 21st-century Ethiopian people