Meskerem Legesse (28 September 1986 – 15 July 2013) was an Ethiopian distance runner. She participated in the 1,500 meters at the 2004 Summer Olympics in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. Legesse turned professional and participated in a number of U.S. events at various distances. She set the world junior record in the indoor 800m with a time of 2:01.03 at Fayetteville, United States on 14 February 2004. At the 2004 Olympics, she ran a time of 4:18:03 (twelfth place in a first-round heat), and did not advance to the medal round. Legesse resided in

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, along the Long Island Sound within Connecticut's Gold Coast. It is northeast of New York City. The town had a population of 27,141 according to the 2020 U.S. Census. History ...

and had not been in Ethiopia for nine years, since 2004. She retired from running due to a heart condition. Legesse died suddenly three weeks before she was to give birth. She was with her two-year-old son when she collapsed on 15 July 2013 at a restaurant in

Hamden, Connecticut Hamden is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town's nickname is "The Land of the Sleeping Giant". The population was 61,169 at the 2020 census. History The peaceful tribe of Quinnipiacs were the first residents of the ...

. Doctors were successful in saving her unborn child.

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at All Athletics 1986 births 2013 deaths Ethiopian female middle-distance runners Ethiopian female long-distance runners Ethiopian female marathon runners Olympic athletes of Ethiopia Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Ethiopian expatriate sportspeople in the United States 20th-century Ethiopian women 21st-century Ethiopian women {{Ethiopia-athletics-bio-stub