Tiki Gelana facts for kids
Tiki Gelana at the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | Ethiopian | |||||||||||||
| Born | 22 October 1987 Jijiga, Ethiopia |
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| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | |||||||||||||
| Weight | 48 kg (106 lb) | |||||||||||||
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| Country |  Ethiopia |
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| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Long distance running | |||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) |
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Medal record
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Tiki Gelana, born on October 22, 1987, is a famous long-distance runner from Ethiopia. She is known for competing in marathon races. A marathon is a very long running race, usually about 42 kilometers (26 miles). Tiki Gelana held the Ethiopian national record for the marathon from 2012 to 2017.
She won big races like the 2011 Amsterdam Marathon and the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon. Her biggest win was a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. She set a new Olympic record for the marathon with her winning time of 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 7 seconds.
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About Tiki Gelana
Tiki Gelana was born in Jijiga, a city in Ethiopia. This town is known for producing many great runners. She is also a cousin of Gezahegne Abera, who won an Olympic marathon gold medal in 2000.
Early Running Career
Tiki started running in local races in Ethiopia. In 2004, she finished fourth in the Great Ethiopian Run. In 2006, she went to Spain and began running half marathon races. She won races in Mataró and Terrassa. At the end of that year, she won the San Silvestre Barcelonesa 10K race.
In 2007, Tiki traveled to Japan. She won the 10K race at the Sanyo Road Race. Her time of 31 minutes and 54 seconds made her the third fastest Ethiopian runner that year. In 2008, she won the Women First 5K in Addis Ababa. She also placed fourth at the World 10K Bangalore race. That summer, she ran on European tracks. She set her best times for the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres races.
First Marathons
In late 2008, Tiki finished sixth at the Delhi Half Marathon. In 2009, she came in second place at the Virginia Beach Half Marathon. Her first full marathon race was the Dublin Marathon in October. She finished in third place. In 2010, she ran the Los Angeles Marathon and the Dublin Marathon again. She finished fourth in both races and improved her best marathon time.
Breakthrough Success
The year 2011 was a big year for Tiki Gelana. She won the Amsterdam Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 8 seconds. This was almost eight minutes faster than her previous best time. It also broke the nine-year-old course record set by Gete Wami. Later that year, she finished second at the Great Ethiopian Run.
Setting Records
In February 2012, Tiki improved her personal best in the half marathon. She won the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon with a time of 1 hour, 8 minutes, and 48 seconds.
She then broke the Ethiopian record at the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon. She ran the race in 2 hours, 18 minutes, and 58 seconds. This amazing time made her the fourth fastest woman ever to run a marathon. Because of this performance, she was chosen to represent Ethiopia at the Olympics.
Olympic Gold Medal
At the London 2012 Olympics, Tiki Gelana won the gold medal in the marathon. She set a new Olympic record with her time of 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 7 seconds. She achieved this even though it rained during the race and she fell at a water station.
After the Olympics, she ran her personal best for the half marathon. She finished third at the Great North Run. She also set a personal best for the 15K race at the Zevenheuvelenloop. She was recognized for her great performances that year with the AIMS World Athlete of the Year Award.
Later Races
In 2013, Tiki Gelana defended her title at the Marugame Half Marathon. She won the race again, beating Kim Smith.
Later in 2013, she competed in the 2013 London Marathon. During the race, she had a collision with a wheelchair racer. Even though she was able to continue, she finished in 16th place. This incident led the London Marathon organizers to change how they start races. Now, wheelchair athletes start before the women's race.
Tiki was also chosen for the Ethiopian team for the 2013 World Championships in Athletics in Moscow. However, she had to drop out of the race early due to the hot and humid weather. In 2014, she returned to the 2014 London Marathon. She finished in ninth place with a time of 2 hours, 26 minutes, and 58 seconds.
Personal Best Times
- 10,000 metres – 31:27.80 minutes (2008)
- 10K road – 31:54 minutes (2007)
- 15K road - 48:09 minutes (2012)
- Half marathon – 1:08:48 hours (2012)
- Marathon – 2:18:58 hours (2012)
Major Race Wins
- Amsterdam Marathon: 2011
- Kagawa-Marugame Half Marathon: 2012, 2013
- Rotterdam Marathon: 2012
- Olympic marathon: 2012
See also
In Spanish: Tiki Gelana para niños
