Tamirat Tola facts for kids
Tamirat at the 2015 Berlin Marathon
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| Full name | Tamirat Tola Abera | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Ethiopian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 11 August 1991 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Ethiopia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Long-distance running | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Oromia Police Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) |
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Medal record
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Tamirat Tola Abera (born August 11, 1991) is an amazing Ethiopian long-distance runner. He is an Olympic and world champion! Tamirat comes from the Oromia region of Ethiopia. He competes in different types of running races, including on a track, on roads, and in cross country events.
Tamirat won a gold medal in the marathon at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. He even set a new Olympic record for the marathon! Before that, he won a bronze medal in the 10,000 metres race at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He also competed in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships. He won a silver medal in 2017 and a gold medal in 2022, setting a championship record in 2022. Tamirat has also done very well in major marathons around the world. He finished third in the Tokyo Marathon in 2022 and the London Marathon in 2023. In 2023, he won the New York City Marathon and broke the course record!
Contents
Tamirat Tola's Running Journey
Early Races: 2013–2014
When Tamirat was 22, he won the Lake Hawassa Half Marathon in Ethiopia in May 2013. He set a new course record of 62 minutes and 44 seconds. A "course record" means he ran faster than anyone before him on that specific race path. In June, he won the České Budějovice Half Marathon in the Czech Republic. He also placed third in a 10K road race in France.
In September 2013, he improved his half marathon time to 61 minutes and 27 seconds in the Czech Republic. In October, he finished third in a 20-kilometer race in France.
In January 2014, Tamirat ran his first full marathon, which is a very long race of 42.195 kilometers (about 26.2 miles). It was the Dubai Marathon, and he finished fourth.
Big Wins and First World Championships: 2015
In February 2015, Tamirat won the Jan Meda International Cross Country race in Ethiopia. This win helped him get chosen for the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships later that year. This was his first time competing internationally! He finished sixth in the main race, and his team from Ethiopia won the gold medal.
In April 2015, he finished third in a 10K race in Switzerland. Two weeks later, he set a new "personal best" (his fastest time ever) in a half marathon in China, finishing in 60 minutes and 8 seconds.
In November, Tamirat won two big races: the Great Ethiopian Run and the Cross Internacional de la Constitucion in Spain. He ended 2015 by winning the 10K race at the BOclassic in Italy on New Year's Eve.
Olympic Medal and More Records: 2016–2017
Tamirat started 2016 by winning the Cross Internacional de Itálica race in Spain. He said it was his "most important win so far."
In March 2016, he helped Ethiopia win team silver medals at the 2016 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Wales. He finished fifth in the individual race, setting another personal best time.
In August 2016, Tamirat won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He ran the 10,000-meter race in 27 minutes and 6.26 seconds.
In January 2017, Tamirat won the Dubai Marathon. He finished in 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 11 seconds, breaking the old course record! This win earned him a big prize of $200,000. A "course record" means he ran faster than anyone else ever had on that specific marathon route.
In April 2017, he won the Prague Half Marathon in a new personal best time of 59 minutes and 37 seconds. This was super fast!
In August 2017, Tamirat won a silver medal in the marathon at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics in London.
Challenges and More Victories: 2018–2019
In January 2018, Tamirat finished third at the Dubai Marathon. Later that year, he faced tough weather conditions at the Boston Marathon, with cold, rain, and strong winds. He had to drop out of the race. "DNF" means "Did Not Finish."
In November 2018, he ran the New York City Marathon for the first time and finished fourth. He ended 2018 by winning the BOclassic 10K race again, setting the fastest winning time there since 1998.
In April 2019, Tamirat finished sixth at the London Marathon. In July 2019, he won the Bogotá Half Marathon in Colombia, setting a new course record.
Pandemic and New Records: 2020–2021
The Covid-19 pandemic changed many races in 2020. The London Marathon was moved to October and had only a small group of elite runners. Tamirat finished sixth in that race.
The 2020 Summer Olympics were also postponed to 2021. Tamirat competed in the Olympic trials but did not make the team for Tokyo. However, in October 2021, he ran an amazing race at the Amsterdam Marathon. He not only broke the course record but also set a new record for the fastest marathon ever run on Dutch soil! His time was 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 39 seconds. This was a new personal best for him.
World Champion and Olympic Gold: 2022–2024
In March 2022, Tamirat finished third at the Tokyo Marathon. In July 2022, he won the gold medal in the marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA. He set a new championship record with a time of 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 36 seconds. A "championship record" means it was the fastest time ever run in that specific World Championships marathon event.
After the World Championships, Tamirat had some muscle fatigue and had to withdraw from the London Marathon. But in October 2022, he won the Trento Half Marathon in Italy, setting another course record.
In April 2023, Tamirat finished third at the London Marathon. In August, he had to drop out of the World Championships marathon in Budapest due to a stomach bug.
However, in November 2023, Tamirat won the New York City Marathon! He set a new course record of 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 58 seconds, beating the old record by eight seconds.
In April 2024, Tamirat started the London Marathon but did not finish. This meant he wasn't initially chosen for Ethiopia's Olympic team for the 2024 Paris Olympics. But then, another runner got injured, and Tamirat got his chance!
In August 2024, at the Paris Olympics, Tamirat won the marathon title! He set a new Olympic Record of 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 26 seconds. The race was very challenging with steep hills, but Tamirat pushed ahead and won the gold medal. He was the first Ethiopian man to win the Olympic marathon since 2000.
Recent Achievements: 2024–2025
In August 2024, Ethiopia's President honored Tamirat for his Olympic win, giving him a gold medal and a large sum of money. His coach, Gemedo Dedefa, was also honored. Tamirat trains with the Oromia Police Club, and they promoted him and held a parade to celebrate his Olympic victory.
In November 2024, Tamirat returned to the New York City Marathon and finished fourth. In December 2024, he received the "Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year" award from World Athletics in Monaco.
In March 2025, Tamirat won the Ethiopian Police Sports Festival half-marathon. In April 2025, he finished fifth at the London Marathon.
Tamirat Tola's Achievements
International Competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Ethiopia |
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| 2015 | World Cross Country Championships | Guiyang, China | 6th | Senior race | 35:33 |
| 1st | Team | 20 pts | |||
| 2016 | World Half Marathon Championships | Cardiff, United Kingdom | 5th | Half marathon | 1:00:06 |
| 2nd | Team | 3:01:16 | |||
| Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 3rd | 10,000 m | 27:06.26 | |
| 2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 2nd | Marathon | 2:09:49 |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, OR, United States | 1st | Marathon | 2:05:36 CR |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | – | Marathon | DNF |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 1st | Marathon | 2:06:26 |
| World Marathon Majors | |||||
| 2015 | Berlin Marathon | Berlin, Germany | – | Marathon | DNF |
| 2018 | Boston Marathon | Boston, MA, United States | – | Marathon | DNF |
| New York City Marathon | New York, NY, United States | 4th | Marathon | 2:08:30 | |
| 2019 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 6th | Marathon | 2:06:57 |
| New York City Marathon | New York, NY, United States | 4th | Marathon | 2:09:20 | |
| 2020 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 6th | Marathon | 2:06:41 |
| 2022 | Tokyo Marathon | Tokyo, Japan | 3rd | Marathon | 2:04:14 |
| 2023 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 3rd | Marathon | 2:04:59 |
| New York City Marathon | New York, NY, United States | 1st | Marathon | 2:04:58 | |
| 2024 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | – | Marathon | DNF |
| 2024 | New York City Marathon | New York, NY, United States | 4th | Marathon | 2:08:12 |
Circuit Wins (Other Major Races)
- 2013: Lake Hawassa Half Marathon (Ethiopia), České Budějovice Half Marathon
- 2015: Great Ethiopian Run, Cross Internacional de la Constitucion, BOclassic
- 2016: Cross Internacional de Itálica, 4 Miles of Groningen (Netherlands)
- 2017: Dubai Marathon, Prague Half Marathon (Personal Best)
- 2018: BOclassic (Personal Best)
- 2019: Bogotá Half Marathon (Course Record)
- 2021: Amsterdam Marathon (National Record, Course Record, Personal Best)
- 2022: Trento Half Marathon (Course Record) (Italy)
- 2025: Ethiopian National Police Sports Festival half marathon
Tamirat Tola's Family Life
Tamirat is married to Dera Dida, who is also a talented runner. They have a son named Fenan, who was 3 years old in October 2024. Dera Dida won the Dubai Marathon in 2023, and Tamirat's brother, Abdisa Tola, also won that same race! It seems running talent runs in their family.
See also
In Spanish: Tamirat Tola para niños
