Assefa Mezgebu
Assefa Mezgebu (born June 19, 1978 in Sidama District , Region of Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples ) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner .
As the younger brother of the equally successful runner Ayele (born January 6, 1973, 1992 vice junior world champion in the 3000 meter obstacle course , in 1994 eighth at the World Cross Country Championships ), he soon surpassed this and was fifth at the 1997 World Athletics Championships 10,000 meter run . Assefa also excelled in cross-country skiing and won a bronze medal in this discipline in 1998 and a silver medal in 2000.
At the 1999 World Championships he stayed just behind Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) and Paul Tergat (KEN) over 10,000 m and won the bronze medal. Also the following year at the Olympic Games in Sydney he won bronze over 10,000 m, also only beaten by Haile Gebrselassie and Paul Tergat.
His last major success was the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton. This time he crossed the finish line in front of his compatriot Haile and won silver behind Charles Waweru Kamathi (KEN).
He has now switched to the marathon distance, but has so far not been able to build on his successes on the track . At the Maratona di Sant'Antonio 2007 he was fifth in 2:15:47 h, at the Zurich Marathon 2008 he was sixth in 2:14:52 h.
Best times
- 3000 m : 7: 28.45 min, August 8, 1998, Monaco
- 5000 m : 12: 53.84 min, August 28, 1998, Brussels
- 10,000 m: 26: 49.90 min, August 30, 2002, Brussels
- 15 km road race : 43:28 min, Nijmegen , November 19, 2000
- Marathon: 2:14:52 h, April 20, 2008, Zurich
Web links
- Assefa Mezgebu in the database of World Athletics (English)
- Assefa Mezgebu on sporting-heroes.net
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mezgebu, Assefa |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Ethiopian long distance runner |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 19, 1978 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Sidama (district) ( region of southern nations, nationalities, and peoples ) |