Kalkidan Gezahegne

Kalkidan Gezahegne (born 8 May 1991) is an Ethiopian-born Bahraini middle distance runner who specializes in the 1500 metres. She represented Ethiopia before acquiring Bahraini citizenship in 2013.

Kalkidan Gezahegne

Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Ethiopia
World Indoor Championships
2010 Doha 1500 m
Representing  Bahrain
Olympic Games
2020 Tokyo10,000 m
Asian Games
2018 Jakarta–Palembang1500 m
2018 Jakarta–Palembang5000 m

Life and career

Gezahegne was born in Addis Ababa. She won the silver medal in the 1500 metres at the 2008 World Junior Championships and won another junior silver at the 2009 African Junior Athletics Championships, finishing behind Caster Semenya.[1] Moving up to the senior level, Kalkidan finished ninth in the 1500 m race at the 2009 World Championships and fifth in the 3000 metres at the 2009 World Athletics Final.[2]

Competing at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships, she had a startling comeback to qualify for the final. In the middle of her heat, she collided with Yevgeniya Zolotova and fell onto the track. She got back up to continue the race, however, and not only caught up with her competitors, but won the race with the fastest time of any runner that day.[3] In the final she outdid compatriot and reigning champion Gelete Burka to win the gold medal. This made the 18-year-old the youngest ever winner of an event at the IAAF World Indoor Championships, beating the previous record set by Gabriela Szabo 15 years earlier.[4] She missed the outdoor season that year due to injury.[5]

Her personal best times are 4:02.98 minutes in the 1500 metres, achieved in July 2009 in Athens; 4:37.76 minutes in the mile run, achieved in September 2009 in Rieti; and 8:38.61 minutes in the 3000 metres, achieved in September 2009 in Thessaloniki.[2]

On 3 October 2021 Kalkidan broke the world record for the road 10km at The Giants Geneva event, running 29:38 and surpassing the previous mark by 5 seconds.[6]

Personal bests
Event Time (m:s) Date Venue
1500 m4:00.9729 May 2011Hengelo, Netherlands
1500 m (indoor)4:03.2810 February 2010Stockholm, Sweden
Mile run (indoor)4:24.1020 February 2010Birmingham, United Kingdom
3000 m8:34.654 September 2018Zagreb, Croatia
3000 m (indoor)8:37.4719 February 2011Birmingham, United Kingdom
5000 m14:52.921 June 2021Montreuil, France
10000 m29:50.778 May 2021Maia, Portugal
10km (road)29:383 October 2021Geneva, Switzerland

References
  1. Ouma, Mark (2009-08-02). African Junior Champs, Day 4. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-03-15.
  2. Kalkidan Gezahegne at World Athletics
  3. Morse, Parker (2010-03-12). Doha 2010 - Day 1 Wrap. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-03-12.
  4. Ramsak, Bob (2010-03-14). Doha 2010 - Gezahegne recovers from heat tumble to become youngest ever female champion. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-03-15.
  5. Jalava, Mirko & Julin, A. Lennart (2010-12-28). 2010 - End of Year Reviews – Middle Distances. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-12-28.
  6. "Gezahegne breaks world 10km record in Geneva, Chelimo goes sub-30 in Valencia, Kumela breaks Kosice course record | REPORT | World Athletics". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
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