Gemechu Woyecha (born 3 February 1979) is an Australian

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 specializes 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 was born 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 ...

, and also represented

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

formerly, under the name Rashid Khaled Jamal. He competed in the 2000 Olympic marathon, but did not finish the race. He later defected to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. In his new home country he won the 2004

Gold Coast Marathon The Gold Coast Marathon is an annual road marathon on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, first held in 1979. Marketed as "Australia's premier road race", the marathon is the only race in Australia to hold World Athletics Label status. ...

. His personal best time is 2:14:50 hours, achieved in 2001. As an Australian citizen his best mark is 2:15.27 hours, achieved when he finished eighth at the 2008

Nagano Marathon The Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon ( ja, 長野オリンピック記念長野マラソン) is an annual marathon road race which takes place in mid-April in Nagano, Japan. It is an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race competition. The Nagano Ma ...

.To see source, please acces
Australian all-time statistics
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Achievements

*All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise

References

1979 births Living people Australian male long-distance runners Ethiopian male long-distance runners Ethiopian male marathon runners Qatari male long-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Qatar Naturalized citizens of Qatar Australian male marathon runners Qatari male marathon runners Place of birth missing (living people) {{Qatar-athletics-bio-stub