Mohammed Ahmed (runner) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mohammed Ahmed

Ahmed at the 2016 Olympics
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Mospeed
Nationality	Canadian
Born	(1991-01-05) January 5, 1991 (age 34) Mogadishu, Somalia
Height	182 cm
Weight	54 kg
Sport
Country	Canada
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Long-distance running
College team	University of Wisconsin–Madison
Club	Bowerman Track Club
Coached by	Jerry Schumacher
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	Outdoor 1500 m: 3:34.89 (Portland 2020) Mile: 3:53.87 (Eugene 2021) 3000 m: 7:31.96 NR (Chorzów 2024) 2-Mile: 8:15.76 NR (Palo Alto 2019) 5000 m: 12:47.20 AR (Portland 2020) 10,000 m: 26:34.14 NR (San Juan Capistrano 2022) Indoor 3000 m: 7:40.11 i (New York 2016) 2-Mile: 8:13.16 i NR (New York 2017) 5000 m: 12:56.87 i NR (Boston 2022)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Canada Olympic Games Silver 2020 Tokyo 5000 m World Championships Bronze 2019 Doha 5000 m Commonwealth Games Silver 2018 Gold Coast 5,000 m Silver 2018 Gold Coast 10,000 m Pan American Games Gold 2015 Toronto 10,000 m Representing Americas Continental Cup Silver 2018 Ostrava 3,000 m

Mohammed Ahmed, born on January 5, 1991, is a super fast Canadian long-distance runner. He's been to the Olympics three times! He's Canada's most successful long-distance runner ever. He was the first Canadian to win medals in the 5000 meters at big events like the World Championships (a bronze in 2019) and the Olympics (a silver in 2021).

He also won two silver medals at the Commonwealth Games in both the 5000m and 10,000m races. In 2015, he was the Pan American champion in the 10,000m. Mohammed Ahmed holds one of the fastest 5000m times in history and has set many Canadian national records.

Early Life and Starting to Run

Mohammed Ahmed was born in Mogadishu, Somalia. His family lived in El Afweyn in Somaliland for a while. Then, they moved to Kenya, where he spent his first ten years. When he was 11, his family moved to St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.

He started running track when he was 13 years old. He got into it after watching his older brothers run at school.

Mohammed's Running Journey

Youth and College Years

Before going to college, Mohammed Ahmed was a champion! He won the Canadian junior 5000m race four times. He also finished in the top ten at the World Junior Championships twice (fourth in 2010, ninth in 2008). Plus, he won two Canadian senior titles in the same event and a Pan American Junior title.

Ahmed went to St. Catharines Collegiate and then to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He graduated in 2014. During his college days, he earned eleven NCAA All-American awards in track and cross country. He even got to compete in the 10,000m at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where he finished eighteenth.

At the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, Mohammed set the best 10,000m time for a Canadian ever, finishing ninth. He almost beat his personal best time with a 27:35.76 result.

In 2014, Ahmed joined Canada's team for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. He ran in the 5000m and 10,000m races, finishing fifth and sixth.

Becoming a Professional Runner

Ahmed winning gold at the 2015 Pan American Games.

After college, Mohammed became a professional runner. He was part of Canada's team for the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. He only competed in the 10,000m and won the gold medal! He then went to the 2015 World Championships, where he ran the 5000m and finished twelfth.

On May 28, 2016, Ahmed set a new personal best and Canadian national record in the 5000m. He finished in 13:01.74 at the Prefontaine Classic. He then competed in his second Olympic team at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He finished thirty-second in the 10,000m. After that tough race, he came in fourth place in the 5000m, just 1.5 seconds away from a bronze medal. He said this made him "shedding tears of agony and defeat."

In 2017, Ahmed ran one of the fastest indoor 5000m races ever in Boston, setting another Canadian national record. On August 4, 2017, he set a personal best and Canadian national record in the 10,000m. He placed eighth at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics with a time of 27:02.35. He was even nominated for Sports Person of the Year at the International Somali Awards in 2018. That same year, he won two silver medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in both the 5000m and 10,000m.

At the 2019 World Athletics Championships, Ahmed won a bronze medal in the 5000m event. This was the first time a Canadian runner had won a medal in this race! He was leading late in the race, briefly dropped to fifth, but then pushed hard to get third place. He also finished sixth in the 10,000m at the same championships.

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic caused many races to be cancelled in 2020, Ahmed still set a personal best and Canadian national record in the men's 5000m. He ran it in 12:47.20 at a meet in Portland, Oregon on July 10, 2020.

Ahmed (left) at the 2022 World Athletics Championships

In 2021, Ahmed was chosen for his third Olympic team. He first competed in the 10,000m event in Tokyo. He finished sixth after briefly leading and running his best time of the season. Next, he ran in the 5000m event, where he had finished fourth five years earlier in Rio. He pushed himself mentally for this race. He was in sixth place going into the last lap, but then he surged forward into second place in the final 100 meters, winning the silver medal! He was the first Canadian to win an Olympic medal at this distance. He said, "every race that didn't go to plan has got me here."

At the 2022 World Athletics Championships, Ahmed faced disappointment in the 10,000m, finishing sixth again. He said, "I still haven't figured out the 10K. It's disappointing." He then finished fifth in the 5000m, just a tiny bit behind the bronze medalist. He noted how strong the competition was, saying, "only four guys in this field didn't break sub-13. That tells you the depth of this event."

At the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Ahmed finished sixth in the 10,000m and seventh in the 5000m.

In the 2024 Paris Olympics, Ahmed finished fourth in the 10,000m after losing some speed at the very end of the race.

Major Achievements

Mohammed Ahmed has achieved many great things in his running career:

• 2015 Pan American Games: Gold medal in 10,000m
• 2018 Commonwealth Games: Two silver medals in 5,000m and 10,000m
• 2018 Continental Cup: Silver medal in 3,000m
• 2019 World Championships: Bronze medal in 5,000m
• 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021): Silver medal in 5,000m

See also

In Spanish: Mohammed Ahmed (atleta) para niños