Elfenesh Alemu facts for kids

Elfenesh Alemu, born on June 10, 1975, is a famous long-distance runner from Ethiopia. She is best known for competing in marathon races. Elfenesh represented her country, Ethiopia, at the Olympic Games in 2000 and 2004. She also ran in the World Championships in Athletics four times in a row, from 1997 to 2003.

Elfenesh Alemu's Running Journey

Starting Her Career

Elfenesh began her running career in 1993. Just one year later, she won the African Marathon Championships. This was a big early success for her. In 1995, she earned a bronze medal at the All-Africa Games. This showed she was a strong competitor.

Big Wins and Personal Bests

In 1997, Elfenesh made history by becoming the first Ethiopian woman to win the Amsterdam Marathon. She continued her winning streak in 2000, taking first place at the Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon. Her fastest time in a marathon is 2 hours, 24 minutes, and 29 seconds. She achieved this amazing time in 2001 at the London Marathon, finishing fifth in that race.

More Success and Family Life

Elfenesh placed third at the Boston Marathon in 2002. The next year, 2003, was very special for her. She won the Tokyo International Women's Marathon. Also in 2003, she married Gezahegne Abera, who was the Olympic marathon champion in 2000.

Elfenesh returned to the Boston Marathon course in both 2004 and 2005. She finished as the runner-up, or second place, in both of those races. In 2005, she set a new record at the San Blas Half Marathon in Puerto Rico. Her time was 1 hour, 12 minutes, and 57 seconds.

Later Races

In 2009, Elfenesh finished eleventh at the Chicago Marathon. She then took a break from competing in 2010. She returned to racing in 2011 at the Mumbai Marathon. She placed third, helping Ethiopia sweep the top spots with Koren Yal and Merima Mohammed. Her time was 2 hours, 29 minutes, and 4 seconds.

Major Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Ethiopia
1995	All-Africa Games	Harare, Zimbabwe	3rd	Marathon	3:08:43
1997	World Championships	Athens, Greece	15th	Marathon	2:41:00
	Amsterdam Marathon	Amsterdam, Netherlands	1st	Marathon	2:37:37
1999	World Championships	Seville, Spain	5th	Marathon	2:28:52
2000	Osaka Ladies Marathon	Osaka, Japan	4th	Marathon	2:24:47
	Nagano Marathon	Nagano, Japan	1st	Marathon	2:24:55
	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	6th	Marathon	2:26:54
2001	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	5th	Marathon	2:24:29
	World Championships	Edmonton, Canada	—	Marathon	DNF
2003	World Championships	Paris, France	6th	Marathon	2:26:29
	Tokyo International Marathon	Tokyo, Japan	1st	Marathon	2:24:47
2004	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	4th	Marathon	2:28:15

Personal Best Times

• 5000 metres - 15:59.99 minutes (2000)
• Half marathon - 1:09:46 hours (2000)
• Marathon - 2:24:29 hours (2001)