Deriba Merga Ejigu (; born 26 October 1980) is an Ethiopian professional

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 stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

. He mainly competes in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), 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 ...

. He finished fourth in that event at the

2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

and went on to win the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight 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 ins ...

the following year. His personal best for the distance is 2:06:38 hours. He also competes in

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 ...

races and his time of 59:14 minutes in 2008 was the fastest that year. He won the 2006 Paris Half Marathon and took the

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

at the

2007 All-Africa Games The 9th All-Africa Games (; ), also known as Algiers 2007 (), took place from 11 to 23 July 2007 in Algiers, the capital city of Algeria. Algiers became the first city to hold All-Africa Games for a second time. The 1978 All-Africa Games were a ...

a year later.

Career

He was born in the Welega Province west of

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

and he headed to the capital in 2005 to pursue a running career after winning some regional races. Merga made his international debut in 2006, winning the Paris Half Marathon in a time of 60:45. Later that year, he finished sixth at the 2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships, helping Ethiopia to a

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...

in the team competition. In December that year he won the Montferland Run 15 km race in a course record time of 42:48. He took the

at the

but just missed out on a medal at the 2007 IAAF World Road Running Championships, finishing in fourth place. He made his

debut at the Fukuoka Marathon in December 2007, finishing second to Sammy Wanjiru. He opened 2008 with a win at the World's Best 10K in

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. He finished sixth at London in April that year, running a personal best of 2:06:38. In August, he finished fourth in the Olympic marathon, after being passed by teammate Tsegay Kebede in the final 400 m. Later in the year he won the Delhi Half Marathon, and defended his title in 2009. In May 2009, he sped to victory at the World 10K Bangalore, holding off a challenge from Mark Kiptoo. Merga won the Chevron Houston Marathon in 2:07:52, setting a course record in the process. He was disappointed, however, having wanted to run a 2:05, a time bettered by only a handful of runners. Three months later, Merga won the 113th

on April 20, 2009, with a time of 2:08:42. Merga endured a very fast start and made a solo break for the finish, winning firmly by almost a minute. In May, he ran a 27:23 10k in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. Merga set his sights on defending his title at the 2010 Boston Marathon and upped the race tempo around the 18-mile mark. He moved away from the pack but was followed by Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot and Tekeste Kebede. Merga faded in the final stages and ended up in third place. He returned to defend his crown at the World 10K Bangalore in May, but was half a minute off the pace and finished in fourth place. Later that month he ran at the Ottawa 10K and was third in a time of 28:41, finishing behind the pacemaker, Lelisa Desessa, who continued for the victory. He set a course record of 1:02:31 at the Bogota Half Marathon in August, easily seeing off the more favoured Zersenay Tadese and Isaac Macharia. He entered the

Chuncheon Marathon The Chuncheon International Marathon () is an annual marathon race which is held in late October in the city of Chuncheon, South Korea. First held in 1946, it is the second oldest marathon in the country after the Seoul International Marathon. Spo ...

in October as the provisional favourite but dropped out of the race after 35 km. He put the disappointment behind him at the Major General Hayelom Araya 15km Championships in February 2011, where he dominated his national rivals – his time of 41:54.84 left him with a winning margin of 45 seconds and brought him an African all-comers record for the distance. He headed to the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon soon after and immediately assumed the lead in the race, running a world best for 8 km and winning the event in a time of 59:25 minutes. His first marathon of 2011 came at the

Lake Biwa Marathon The was a marathon race held in Otsu, Shiga, Japan. It was one of the prominent marathons in Japan. It was a male only competition and had IAAF Gold Label status.Nakamura, Ken (2010-03-07)Tsegay takes Lake Biwa crown IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-03-08 ...

in Japan and a duel between Deriba and

Wilson Kipsang Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich (born 15 March 1982) is a Kenyan professional athlete who specialises in long-distance running, competing in events ranging from 10 km to the marathon. He was the bronze medallist in the marathon at the 2012 Summer O ...

saw the Ethiopian finish in the runner-up spot. He took his second win of the year over half that distance at the Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon. He attempted to defend his Bogotá Half Marathon title but was beaten by some distance by Geoffrey Mutai. He ran at the

Frankfurt Marathon The Frankfurt Marathon (official name as of 2016: Mainova Frankfurt Marathon, until 2015: BMW Frankfurt Marathon, until 2010: Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon) is a marathon which has taken place every year in Frankfurt am Main since its inception i ...

in October but could not keep up with the near-world record pace set by

Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich (born 15 March 1982) is a Kenyan professional athlete who specialises in long-distance running, competing in events ranging from 10 km to the marathon. He was the bronze medallist in the marathon at the 2012 Summer O ...

and dropped out at the 30 km point. Quick racing was again too much for him as he dropped out of the Dubai Marathon in January 2012 after having run the first half in 1:02:21. He finished second at the 2012 New York City Half Marathon, being overtaken by Peter Kirui in the final stages. He came third at the Bay to Breakers but had a very slow outing at the Shanghai Marathon where he held on to finish tenth in a time of 2:21:14 hours. His fortunes reversed at the Houston Half Marathon in 2013 as he was runner-up behind

Feyisa Lilesa Feyisa Lilesa ( Afaan Oromo: Fayyisaa Leellisaa; born 1 February 1990) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He became the youngest man to run under 2:06 when he ran 2:05:23 in the men's marathon at the 2010 Rotterdam Marathon. He set his perso ...

Personal bests

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 ...

– 59:14 (New Delhi, 2008) *

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), 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 ...

– 2:06:38 (London, 2008)

International competitions

Road race wins

References

External links