Gezahegne Abera (

Amharic Amharic is an Ethio-Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amhara people, and also serves as a lingua franca for all other metropolitan populati ...

: ገዛኸኝ አበራ; born April 23, 1978) is an Ethiopian

athlete An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track ...

and winner of the marathon race at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

. Born in Etya, Arsi Province, Gezahegne's first international competition was the 1999

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Marathon, where he finished fourth, behind three

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

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, finishing first at

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan 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 ancient times. ...

marathon in Japan. He won that marathon again in 2001 and 2002. In 2000, Gezahegne finished second in 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 ...

. At the

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...

, the marathon race came down to two Ethiopians, Gezahegne and Tesfaye Tola, and Kenyan Erick Wainaina. 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 line. 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 The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

ahead of

Simon Biwott Simon Biwott (born 3 March 1970 in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu District) is a former long-distance runner from Kenya who won the silver medal in the men's marathon at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics. The race in Edmonton, Canada was won by Ethio ...

from Kenya to become the first person to achieve an

marathon double. In 2003, Gezahegne won the

London Marathon The London Marathon (also known as the TCS London Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon held in London, England. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held in April, although it moved to Oct ...

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 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. Gazagn is now a member committee of Ethiopian athletics federation.

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 for 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 sportsmen