Gebregziabher Gebremariam (born September 10, 1984 in
Tigray) is a retired
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 ...
n
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 established himself at the
IAAF World Cross Country Championships
World Athletics Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Formerly held annually and organised by World Athletics (formerly the IAAF), it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the Int ...
, winning the junior title in 2002 and two silver medals in the senior races in 2004. He represented Ethiopia over
5000 metres
The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...
at the
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
, taking fourth place, and over 10000 metres at the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
. He was the 2009 World Champion in cross country.
He 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
2010 New York City Marathon and won the race in a time of 2:08:14. He was third at the
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...
in 2011 with a personal best of 2:04:53 hours (downhill). He is married to long-distance runner
Werknesh Kidane
Werknesh Kidane (; born November 21, 1981), is an Ethiopian long distance runner from Tigray who competes in both 5000 and 10,000 metres. She has won numerous medals at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and represented Ethiopia at the S ...
.
Career
At the 2002 World Junior Championships Gebregziabher Gebremariam won 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 ...
and finished third in the
5000 metres
The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...
race. He also won the World Junior Championships in
cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...
. The following year he made his first impact on the international scene by finishing third at the
1st IAAF World Athletics Final The 1st IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Stade Louis II, in Monte Carlo, Monaco on 13 September and 14 September 2003. It was the series finale for the 2003 IAAF World Outdoor Meetings and the successor tournament to the 2002 IAAF Grand ...
and second at the
All-Africa Games
The African Games, formally known as the All-Africa Games or the Pan African Games, are a continental multi-sport event held every four years, organized by the African Union (AU) with the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (AN ...
.
In March 2004 Gebremariam showed that he had fully progressed from the junior ranks by winning two
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 ...
s at the
World Cross Country Championships, one over the short course and one over the long course; in essence, were it not for his countryman
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 would be one of only two men ever to have claimed short and long course victories at the same Championships. He was selected for the Ethiopian
Summer Olympic 5000 metres
The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...
team along with
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 ...
and
Dejene Berhanu
Dejene Berhanu (December 12, 1980 – August 29, 2010) was a male Ethiopian runner, who specialized in the 5000 metres.
Berhanu finished 11th in the short race at the 2004 World Cross Country Championships and fifth in the 5000 at the Ath ...
, where he finished fourth, 0.25 seconds behind bronze medalist
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 ...
of Kenya.
Gebremariam finished sixth in the 10,000 metres at the
2007 World Championships in
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
. In October 2008 he made his debut in the
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 ...
, finishing 2nd in the 2008 Bupa
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 ...
behind
Tsegaye Kebede
Tsegaye Kebede Wordofa ( Amharic: ፀጋየ ከበደ ዎርዶፋ; born 15 January 1987) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in road running events, including marathons. He quickly rose to become a prominent distance runner after ...
. He won
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
at the
2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
Gebremariam began the 2009–10 IAAF cross country season with a win at the opening meeting – the
Oeiras International Cross Country
The Oeiras International Cross Country (''Portuguese: Crosse Internacional de Oeiras'') is an annual cross country running competition that takes place in Oeiras, Portugal. Established in 2000, it is usually held in mid-November and is traditional ...
, and also took victory at the
Cross de Atapuerca,
Cross Internacional de Soria and
Cross Internacional de Alcobendas meetings. He finished tenth in the senior race at the
2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
Heading out onto the summer
athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competi ...
circuit, he ran a course record of 27:42 at the
UAE Healthy Kidney 10K
The UAE Healthy Kidney 10K was an annual road running event over 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) that took place in May in New York City in the United States. The event featured both an elite-level men's race and a general mass race for fun runners. Almo ...
in
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
in May, knocking six seconds off
Tadese Tola
Tadese Tola (born 31 October 1987 in Addis Ababa) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He has represented Ethiopia at World championship level in cross country, road running, and on the track.
He made his first impact in 2006, helping the Eth ...
's record and beating
Peter Kamais
Peter Kamais (born 7 November 1976) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in road running events.
He was the winner at the Oeiras International Cross Country and Almond Blossom Cross Country races in 2006, but it was at the Cursa de Bo ...
to the line. He was victorious at the
Peachtree Road Race
The Peachtree Road Race (branded AJC Peachtree Road Race for sponsorship reasons) is an American 10-kilometer run held annually in Atlanta. After being held on Independence Day from 1970 to 2019, the race was cancelled because of the COVID pand ...
in June, just pipping
Peter Kirui at the finish, and then won the
Beach to Beacon 10K
The Toronto-Dominion Bank Beach to Beacon 10K is a road running event that takes place along the coastline of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. It begins at Crescent Beach State Park and ends at the Portland Head Light in Fort Williams Park.
Starting out ...
in August. He scored his second road win of the month at the
Falmouth Road Race
The Falmouth Road Race is an annual road race on Cape Cod from Woods Hole, a village in the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts, to Falmouth Heights.
The race organizer is Falmouth Road Race, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization that puts on the race e ...
, beating
Wilson Kwambai Chebet just at the finish. Former world junior silver medallist
Matthew Kisorio
Mathew Kipkoech Kisorio (born 16 May 1989) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in road running and cross country running competitions. He has a half marathon best of 58:46 minutes (making him the third fastest ever) and a mar ...
bested him at the
Philadelphia Half Marathon
The Philadelphia Distanced Run is an annual half marathon road running event which takes place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States on the third Sunday of September.
The competition was established in 1978 as the Philadelphia Distan ...
, however, as the Ethiopian's time of 1:00:25 was ten seconds short of the victor.
He won the
2010 New York City Marathon on his debut over the distance with a time of 2:08:14. Among his competitors was
Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie ( am, ኀይሌ ገብረ ሥላሴ, ''haylē gebre silassē''; born 18 April 1973) is an Ethiopian retired long-distance track, road running athlete, and businessman. He won two Olympic gold medals and four World Champion ...
, who dropped out mid-race and later announced his retirement. Gebremariam had encouraged his compatriot to stay in the race but the veteran responded "I can't, Gebre, you have to go on". He paid his respects to the world record holder after the race, saying "Haile is a good guy, he is king. I have learned so many things from him".
He entered the
New York City Half Marathon
The New York City Half Marathon (branded as the United Airlines NYC Half) is an annual half marathon road running race from Brooklyn's Prospect Park to Manhattan's Central Park via the Manhattan Bridge, held since 2006. It passes through o ...
the following March and was narrowly beaten at the line by
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 April 2011, he finished third in the
2011 Boston Marathon
The 2011 Boston Marathon took place on Monday, April 18, 2011. Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya won the men's race in a time of 2:03:02. In recognizing Mutai's mark as the "fastest Marathon ever run", the International Association of Athletics Federations ...
with a time of 2:04:53 hours. This was among the fastest ever times for the marathon, but it was recorded on a downhill circuit. He ran at Boston's first
B.A.A. 10K race in June and finished second behind
Geoffrey Mutai
Geoffrey Kiprono Mutai (born 7 October 1981) is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in road running competitions. On 18 April 2011 at the Boston Marathon, Mutai ran the fastest marathon ever at the time in a time of 2 hours 3 minutes 2 ...
, a finish which he and Mutai repeated at the
Giro di Castelbuono
The Giro di Castelbuono (officially Giro Podistico Internazionale Castelbuono) is an annual road running competition over 10 kilometres which takes place in Castelbuono, on the island of Sicily, Italy. First held in 1912, the competition, whic ...
a month later. He returned to defend his title at the
2011 New York City Marathon, but was again beaten by Mutai and ended the race in fourth place.
At the
2012 Boston Marathon he faltered in warm temperatures and ended the race in 14th place with a time of 2:22:56 hours. He qualified to represent Ethiopia at the
2012 London Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
and finished eighth in the
Olympic 10,000 metres final. He was runner-up to
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 ...
, the winner of the Olympic race, at the
Rock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon in February 2013.
Personal bests
(*) Downhill and point-to-point course
*
All information taken from IAAF profile.
References
External links
*
Official Facebook Fanpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gebremariam, Gebregziabher
1984 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Tigray Region
Ethiopian male long-distance runners
Ethiopian male marathon runners
Ethiopian male cross country runners
Olympic male long-distance runners
Olympic athletes of Ethiopia
Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics
African Games silver medalists for Ethiopia
African Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
Athletes (track and field) at the 2003 All-Africa Games
Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 All-Africa Games
World Athletics Championships athletes for Ethiopia
World Athletics Cross Country Championships winners
New York City Marathon male winners
20th-century Ethiopian people
21st-century Ethiopian people