Solomon Molla (

Amharic Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...

: ሶሎሞን ሞልላ; born 1987) is an Ethiopian athlete who specialises in

long distance running Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance running comes two ...

, including 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 has a personal best of 2:08:46 hours that event and won the 2008

JoongAng Seoul Marathon The JoongAng Seoul Marathon is an annual footrace that takes place in Seoul, South Korea, usually in early November. First held in 1999, the race was established as a commemoration of Olympic marathon race which was held as part of the 1988 Seoul ...

. He is a two-time participant at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

Career

Born in Tigray Province, he had his first experience of international competition at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. A second place in the national championships (behind Tessema Abshiro) meant he was selected for the junior race at the

2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 29/30, 2003. The races were held at the L'Institut Équestre National in Avenches near Lausanne, Switzerland. Reports of the event were given in ''The New York Times'', in t ...

in Lausanne, and he finished in ninth position.2009 Runners - Solomon Molla

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several 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 i ...

. Retrieved 30 October 2009. In 2004, he ran at the Great Ethiopian Run, finishing eighth in the 10 km race, and came second in the

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The race ...

at the Addis Ababa municipal championships. In February the following year, he upset the favoured Tariku Bekele to win the 8 km race at the Jan Meda International Cross Country. Based on this performance, he was entered into the

2005 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2005 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 19/20, 2005. The races were held at the Hippodrome Joseph Desjoyaux in Saint-Galmier near Saint-Étienne, France. Reports of the event were given in ''The New York Times'', in ...

and he improved on his previous showing with an eighth place finish. He became the Addis Ababa Municipal champion over 10,000 m that summer. The following year, he won the men's short race at the Jan Meda Addis Ababa Municipal Cross Country Championships, but could only manage third in the longer junior race. He closed his 2006 season with a run at the Obudu Ranch Mountain Race, a mountain running competition at the

Obudu Cattle Ranch Obudu Mountain Resort (formerly known as the Obudu Cattle Ranch) is a ranch and resort on the Obudu Plateau in Cross River State, Nigeria. History It was developed in 1951 by M. McCaughley, McCaughley who first explored the mountain range ...

in Nigeria, and his top-eight finish was enough to take a share of the prize money. A summer of road running in the United States in 2007 was highlighted by a third place finish in the Azalea Trail Run (with a new best of 28:39), and fourth at the Cooper River Bridge Run. At the end of the year, he decided to move up to the marathon distance, saying that it would better suit his abilities. His first attempt at the distance came at the

, where he managed to finish fourteenth. He finished seventh at the

Marrakesh Marathon The Marrakech Marathon is an annual marathon held in Marrakech, Morocco. Roughly 5000 runners turn out for the event annually. At the inaugural edition of the race in 1987 French runner Jacques Boxberger won the men's race while the women's race w ...

in January 2008, and set a half marathon best of 1:02:40 in

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...

in April. He further improved his marathon time at the Ottawa Marathon two months later: his time of 2:11:04.8 beat his previous best by seven minutes and he took second place behind

David Cheruiyot David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

. His breakout performance came at the JoongAng Seoul Marathon in November: he further improved his best to win the race in 2:08:46, ranking among the top eight Ethiopian marathon runners that season. In his second full year of marathon running, he attended the

for the first time and finished with a time of 2:12:02 to take seventh place. He did not compete for over 18 months, only returning in November 2011. He was a shadow of his former self at the Beirut Marathon, coming ninth with a time of 2:17:37 hours. A year passed and he entered the Beijing Marathon, showed a resurgence in form by coming third in 2:10:20 hours. He placed third at the

Houston Marathon The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon usually held every January in Houston, Texas, United States, since 1972. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently ...

in January 2013.

Personal bests

*All information taken from IAAF profile.Biography Molla Solomon
IAAF. Retrieved 30 October 2009.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Molla, Solomon 1987 births Living people Ethiopian male long-distance runners Ethiopian male marathon runners Sportspeople from Tigray Region 20th-century Ethiopian people 21st-century Ethiopian people