Million Wolde facts for kids
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Athletics | ||
Representing  Ethiopia |
||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Gold | 2000 Sydney | 5000 m |
| World Championships | ||
| Silver | 2001 Edmonton | 5000 m |
Million Wolde (Amharic: ሚሊዮን ወልዴ; born March 17, 1979) is an Ethiopian athlete. He is famous for winning the gold medal in the 5,000 meters race at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
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Million Wolde: An Olympic Champion
Million Wolde is a celebrated runner from Ethiopia. He became a national hero when he won the 5,000 meters race at the Sydney Olympics. His journey to becoming an Olympic champion started when he was very young.
Early Running Days
Million Wolde began his running career as a teenager. When he was 17, he competed in the 1996 World Junior Championships in Sydney. He finished sixth in the 3,000 meters steeplechase event.
Two years later, in 1998, he won the 5,000 meters at the World Junior Championships in Annecy, France. He also did well in junior cross-country races. He finished eighth in 1996 and second in 1997. In 1998, he won his final junior cross-country championship.
Million also represented Ethiopia in a road relay race in Brazil in 1998. He helped his team take an early lead. Ethiopia eventually finished second in that competition.
Big Wins and Championships
Million Wolde started to gain more fame in 1999. He won a bronze medal in the 3,000 meters at the World Indoor Championships in Japan. Later that year, he finished eighth in the 5,000 meters at the World Championships in Spain.
He also continued to compete in cross-country races. In 1999, he placed fourth in the senior men's short course race in Belfast. The next year, in 2000, he finished fifteenth in the same race in Portugal.
Olympic Gold Medal Moment
The most exciting part of Million Wolde's career happened at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. He was only 22 years old at the time. In the 5,000 meters final, no one wanted to run too fast at the start.
Million waited patiently for the right moment. With only 200 meters left in the race, he suddenly sprinted ahead of everyone. He crossed the finish line first, winning the gold medal! His winning time was 13 minutes and 35.49 seconds. He finished ahead of runners from Algeria and Morocco.
After the Olympics
After his Olympic victory, Million Wolde continued to compete. At the next World Championships in Edmonton, Canada, in 2001, he won a silver medal in the 5,000 meters. This showed he was still one of the best runners in the world.
Later in his career, injuries made it harder for him to compete. However, he remained involved in running. In 2015, he was living in Tarrytown, New York, and participated in some local races. By August 2018, Million Wolde was working as an Assistant Cross Country coach at Saint Thomas Academy in Minnesota.
See also
In Spanish: Millon Wolde para niños
