Gezahegne Abera ( Amharic: ገዛሄኘ አበራ; born April 23, 1978) is an Ethiopian athlete, winner of the

marathon race 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 di ...

at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

. Born in Etya,

Arsi Province Arsi Province (Amharic: አርሲ) was a province of Ethiopian Empire with its capital at Asella. Historically a part of the Emirate of Harar until its invasion by Menelik and subsequent incorporation into modern Ethiopia. The province was red ...

, Gezahegne's first international competition was the 1999

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

Marathon, where he finished fourth, behind three

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

ns. That earned him a place in the Ethiopian 1999 World Championships team, where he finished eleventh. Later in the 1999 season, Gezahegne won his first international marathon by finishing first at

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...

marathon in Japan. He won this marathon again in 2001 and 2002. In 2000, Gezahegne finished second in the Boston Marathon. At the Sydney Olympics, the marathon race came down to two Ethiopians, Gezahegne and Tesfaye Tola, and Kenyan

Erick Wainaina Erick Wainaina (born December 19, 1973, in Nyahururu) is a Kenyan marathon runner, who won an Olympic bronze medal in 1996 and a silver medal in 2000. He finished seventh in the 2004 Summer Olympics marathon in Athens, making him one of the fe ...

. At the 37 km mark, Wainaina tried to make a break, but 2 km later Gezahegne surged to the lead and held the position to the finishing lane. At 22 years old, Gezahegne was the youngest marathon champion since Juan Carlos Zabala in Los Angeles 1932. In 2001, Gezahegne won the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

by a mere second ahead of Simon Biwott from Kenya to become the first person to achieve an Olympics-

marathon double. In 2003, Abera won the

London Marathon The London Marathon is an annual marathon held in London, United Kingdom, and is the 2nd largest annual road race in the UK, after the Great North Run in Newcastle. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically he ...

in 2:07:56. At the 2003 World Championships, Gezahegne had to abandon the race due to injury, but he was selected in the Ethiopian

2004 Olympic 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), ...

team. Again. injury kept him from the race. His wife Elfenesh Alemu was also selected to the 2004 Olympic team, finishing fourth in the women's marathon. Gezahegne's repeated injuries ended his running career at a relatively young age. He and his wife own a hotel and property development business.

References

External links

The Racer - Gezahegne Abera's Rise to World-Champion Marathoner by Neil Wilson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gezahegne Abera 1978 births Living people Ethiopian male marathon runners Ethiopian male long-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Ethiopia Olympic gold medalists for Ethiopia London Marathon male winners World Athletics Championships medalists Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Recipients of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races Best Marathon Runner Award World Athletics Championships winners 20th-century Ethiopian people 21st-century Ethiopian people