Kenenisa Bekele

Kenenisa Bekele

Kenenisa in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Kenenisa Bekele Beyecha
Nationality	Ethiopian
Born	(1982-06-13) 13 June 1982 (age 42)[1] near Bekoji, Arsi Province, Socialist Ethiopia[2]
Height	165 cm (5 ft 5 in)[3]
Weight	56 kg (123 lb)[3]
Sport
Country	Ethiopia
Sport	Track, Long-distance running
Event(s)	5000 metres, 10,000 metres, Marathon
Team	Anta Sports NN Running Team (past)
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	5000 m: 12:37.35 (Hengelo 2004) 10,000 m: 26:17.53 NR (Brussels 2005) Marathon: 2:01:41 NR (Berlin 2019) Marathon: 2:04:15 MWR (London 2024) Indoors 2000 m: 4:49.99i WB (Birmingham 2007) 2 Miles: 8:04.35i AB (Birmingham 2008) 5000 m: 12:49.60i WR (Birmingham 2004)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Ethiopia Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 3 1 0 World Championships 5 0 1 World Indoor Championships 1 0 0 African Championships 2 0 0 All-African Games 2 0 0 World Cross Country Championships 11 1 0 World Marathon Majors 2 2 2 Total 26 4 2 Olympic Games 2004 Athens 10,000 m 2008 Beijing 5000 m 2008 Beijing 10,000 m 2004 Athens 5000 m World Championships 2003 Paris 10,000 m 2005 Helsinki 10,000 m 2007 Osaka 10,000 m 2009 Berlin 5000 m 2009 Berlin 10,000 m 2003 Paris 5000 m World Indoor Championships 2006 Moscow 3000 m African Championships 2006 Bambous 5000 m 2008 Addis Ababa 5000 m All-Africa Games 2003 Abuja 5000 m World Cross Country Championships 2002 Dublin Long race 2002 Dublin Short race 2003 Lausanne Long race 2003 Lausanne Short race 2004 Brussels Long race 2004 Brussels Short race 2005 Saint-Galmier Long race 2005 Saint-Galmier Short race 2006 Fukuoka Long race 2006 Fukuoka Short race 2008 Edinburgh Long race 2001 Ostend Short race World Marathon Majors 2016 Berlin Marathon 2019 Berlin Marathon 2017 London Marathon 2024 London Marathon 2016 London Marathon 2021 Berlin Marathon

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Kenenisa Bekele Beyecha^[4] (Oromo: Qananiisaa baqqalaa; Amharic: ቀነኒሳ በቀለ; born 13 June 1982) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He was the world record holder in both the 5,000-metre and 10,000-metre from 2004 until 2020. He won the gold medal in both the 5,000 m and 10,000 m events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. At the 2004 Olympics, he won the gold medal in the 10,000 m and the silver medal in the 5,000 m.

He is the most successful runner in the history of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, with six long (12 km) course and five short (4 km) course titles. He won the 10,000 m title at the World Championships in Athletics in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009 (matching Haile Gebrselassie's four in a row win streak). Kenenisa was unbeaten over 10,000 m from his debut in 2003 until 2011, when he failed to finish at the World Championships final.

At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics he became the first man to win both 5000 m and 10,000 m title at the same championships. Over 5000 m he has also won an Olympic silver (2004), World Championship bronze (2003), two African Championship titles and one All-Africa Games gold medal. He also won the 3000 metres title at the 2006 World Indoor Championships.

On 6 April 2014, he produced the sixth fastest marathon debut ever on a record-eligible course with his victory at the Paris Marathon, in a course record time of 2:05:04. On 25 September 2016, Kenenisa won the Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:03:03, a new personal best, then the third-fastest marathon of all time. On 29 September 2019, he again won the Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:01:41, two seconds slower than the then world record of 2:01:39 set by Eliud Kipchoge in the 2018 Berlin Marathon.^[5] Considering his accomplishments in cross country, track, and road racing, many consider him to be the greatest distance runner of all time.^[6][7][8]