Letesenbet Gidey

Letesenbet Gidey (born 20 March 1998) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner.[1][2] She is the 2015 and 2017 U20 Cross Country World Champion, the fourth woman to win back-to-back titles. At the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Letesenbet won the silver medal in the 10,000m. On 7 October 2020, at the NN Valencia World Record Day meet, she set a new 5000 meters world record in 14:06.62.

This article is about a person whose name includes a patronymic. The article properly refers to the person by her given name, Letesenbet, and not as Gidey.

Letesenbet Gidey
Letesenbet Gidey in 2016
Personal information
NationalityEthiopian
Born (1998-03-20) 20 March 1998
Endameskel, Tigray Region, Ethiopia
Sport
CountryEthiopia
SportAthletics
Event(s)Track, cross-country, and road running
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Ethiopia
World Championships
2019 Doha10,000 m
World Cross Country Championships
2015 GuiyangJunior race
2015 GuiyangTeam
2017 KampalaJunior race
2017 KampalaTeam
2019 AarhusTeam
2019 AarhusSenior race

Early life

Letesenbet Gidey was born in Endameskel in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. She was the fourth child born to her parents, having two brothers and a sister, and grew up on the family farm.[3]

She won a 3000 m + 2000 m steeplechase run at the Ethiopian School Championships in 2012.[4]

Career

2014

Letesenbet ran the 5000 m at the Ethiopian Championships on 14 June. Almaz Ayana won in a time of 16:11.40; Kidsan Alema was second in 16:13.48, and Letesenbet was third in 16:19.30.[5][6]

2015

Letesenbet won the Jan Meda Cross Country Junior race on a 6 km course. Her winning time was 20:30, with Dagmawit Kbru 20:31 the runner-up.[7]

Letesenbet ran the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championship in Guiyang, China, on 28 March. She won the U20 World title on the 6030 m course in a time of 19:48, and she and her Ethiopian teammates won the team title. At the age of 17, she was the youngest junior women's winner in 15 years. Fellow Ethiopians Dera Dida finished second and Etagegne Woldu third, in 19:49 and 19:53, respectively.[8]

Letesenbet won a 5000 m run in Bottrop on 21 June in a time of 15:39.83. The runner-up was Jana Groß-Hardt in 17:06.33. At first, Letesenbet was disqualified because she had stepped on a marking on the track. Groß-Hardt stood at the top of the podium during the winner ceremony. Letesenbet objected to this decision, reasoning that her misstep had not given her an unfair advantage, and as a result of her appeal she was reinstated as the winner.[9][10][11]

On 15 July, Letesenbet ran the 3000 m girls' race at the World Athletics U18 Championships in Cali, Colombia. Shuru Bulo (Ethiopia) won in a time of 9:01.12 and Emily Chebet Kipchumba (Kenya) was second in 9:02.92. Sheila Chelangat (Kenya) took third in 9:04.54, and Letesenbet finished fourth in 9:04.64.[12]

2016

Letesenbet ran the 5000 meters in Hengelo, Netherlands, on 22 May. She won in a time of 14:58.44 on a 6 km course.[13] Zeyneba Yimer finished second in 21:37 and Hawi Feyisa placed third in 21:44.[14]

On 30 June, she ran the 5000m at the Mitin Internacional Ciutat de Barcelona, which she won in 14:45.63, defeating Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia), who dropped out after 3600m[15]

2017

Letesenbet won the women's junior run at the Ethiopian Cross Country championships on 13 February in Addis Ababa.

On 26 March, Letesenbet won the U20 IAAF World Cross Country Championship on a 6 km course in Kampala, Uganda. Hawi Feysa (Ethiopia) finished second and Celliphine Chespol (Kenya) was third.[16]

Letesenbet competed in the women's 5000 metres at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics.[17] in London. She advanced to the finals and finished 11th of 14 starters. The race was won by Hellen Obiri (Kenya) in a time of 14:34.86, the silver medal went to Almaz Ayana (Ethiopia), who ran 14:40.35, and the bronze went to Sifan Hassan (Netherlands), who ran 14:42.74.[18]

2018

Letesenbet won the sixth race of the IAAF Cross Country Permit series in San Vittore Olona, Italy. Her winning time was 18:14 on a 6 km course. Daisy Jepkemei (Kenya) finished second in 18:18.[19]

Letesenbet ran the 5000 meters in Eugene, Oregon (USA) on 26 May. She placed second in a time of 14:30.29.[13] Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia) won in 14:26.89 and Hellen Obiri (Kenya) placed third in 14:35.03.[20]

2019

On 10 February 2019 Letesenbet ran the Jan Meda Cross Country run in Addis Adaba. The women's 10 km race was won by Dera Dida in 35:50; Letesenbet placed second in 35:55.[21]

In the 2019 edition of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Letesenbet participated in the women's senior race. The 5000 m world champion Hellen Obiri (Kenya) won on the extremely hilly 10.2 km course in Aarhus, Denmark. Obiri's winning time was 36:14, with Dera Dida as the runner-up and Letesenbet taking the bronze medal.

Letesenbet raced the 10,000 m at the Ethiopian National championships in Addis Ababa on 8 May. She won in a time of 32:10.2, with Tsehay Gemechu second in 32:17.2.[22][23][24]

On 19 May, Letesenbet ran the 10k Bengaluru. She placed second, with Agnes Tirop (Kenya) the winner and Senbere Teferi (Ethiopia) in third place. All three women finished with the same time of 33:55.[25][26]

At the 30 June Diamond League meet in Stanford, California (USA), Letesenbet took third place in a 3000 m race in a time of 8:20.27. The winner was Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) in 8:18.49, a European record, with Konstanze Klosterhalfen (Germany) the runner-up in 8:20.07.[27][28] Seven of the top 15 runners ran personal bests.[29][30]

Letesenbet won the women's 10,000 m Ethiopian trials on 17 July. Her winning time on the track in Hengelo, Netherlands, was 30:37.89. World half-marathon champion Netsanet Gudeta was the runner-up in 30:40.85.[31]

At the 2019 Diamond League final in Brussels, Letesenbet finished second in the 5000 m in A time of 14:29.54. The winner was Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) in 14:26.26. Konstanze Klosterhalfen, the German record-holder, placed third in 14:29.89, and the Kenyan world champion Hellen Obiri Was fourth in 14:33.90.[32][33]

On 28 September, Letesenbet took the silver medal in the 10,000m at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. The race was won by Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) in a time of 30:17.33, a new Dutch national record. Letesenbet finished in 30:21.23, with Agnes Tirop (Kenya) third in 30:25.50.[34]

On 17 November, Letesenbet set a new world best over 15km in 44:20 at the Zevenheuvelenloop road race in Nijmegen, improving the previous world record of Joyciline Jepkosgei by more than one minute and becoming the first woman to run 15km under 45 minutes.[35][36] Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) had set a 15km world record at the Zevenheuvelenloop with 46:28 in 2009, which was a 27-second improvement on the former mark at the time.[37] Letesenbet lowered Dibaba's course record by more than 2 minutes.[35] For this world best, Letesenbet received a prize of 50,000 €.[38]

2020

At the Diamond League Monaco meet on 14 August 2020, Letesenbet finished the 5000 m second in a time of 14:26.57. Hellen Obiri (Kenya) won in 14:22.12, a meeting record. Laura Weightman (United Kingdom) placed third with 14:35.44.[39]

On 7 October 2020, at the NN Valencia World Record Day meet held at the Estadi del Túria in Valencia, she set a world record time of 14:06.62 in the 5000 metres, which improved on Tirunesh Dibaba's 12-year-old record by more than 4 seconds.[40]

Personal bests

Outdoor
Event[13]TimeVenueDate
1500 metres4:11.11Herouville15 June 2017
3000 metres8:20.27Palo Alto30 June 2019
5000 metres14:06.62Valencia, Spain7 October 2020
10000 metres30:21.23Doha28 September 2019
10 kilometres33:55Bangalore19 May 2019
15 kilometres44:20Nijmegen17 November 2019

References
  1. "Letesenbet Gidey – from reluctant runner to global champion| News | iaaf.org". www.iaaf.org.
  2. "Letesenbet Gidey". IAAF. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  3. Negash, Elshadai (11 June 2015). "Letesenbet Gidey – from reluctant runner to global champion| News". World Athletics. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  4. "Letesenbet Gidey – from reluctant runner to global champion| News". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  5. "Letesenbet Gidey | Profile". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  6. "Shocks, comebacks and close finishes highlight Ethiopian Championships| News". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  7. "Yalew and Tola triumph at the Jan Meda International Cross Country| News". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  8. "Letesenbet Gidey junior women Guiyang | iaaf.org". www.iaaf.org. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  9. Goldmann, Björn (21 June 2015). "Die zweite Auflage der Bottroper NRW-Gala ist ein Erfolg". www.waz.de (in German). Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  10. "Offene NRW Meisterschaften Bottrop 21. Juni 2015".
  11. "Offene NRW-Meisterschaften der Frauen und Männer 2015 in Bottrop am 21. Juni und NRW-Hammerwurf-Cup am 19. Juni in Olfen". LAZ Rhede (in German). 22 June 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  12. "3000 Metres Result | 9th IAAF World Youth Championships 2015". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  13. "Letesenbet Gidey | Profile | iaaf.org". www.iaaf.org.
  14. "Gidey, Molla and Dida among the winners at Ethiopian Cross Country Championships | News". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  15. "Genzebe Dibaba fails to finsh 5k race in Barcelona | Watch Athletics". www.watchathletics.com. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  16. "Gidey cruises to second straight U20 women's title – IAAF World Cross Country Championships Kampala 2017| News | iaaf.org". www.iaaf.org. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  17. "5000 Metres Women". IAAF. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  18. "IAAF 2015 WC 5000 m womens final" (PDF).
  19. "Teenage talents Kiplimo and Gidey triumph at Cinque Mulini | News". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  20. "5000 Metres Result | Prefontaine Classic". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  21. "Tuemay and Dida take Jan Meda Cross Country victories in Addis| News". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
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  23. admin. "Ethiopian championships, Addis-Ababa 7-12/05/2019 | Africathle". Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  24. "48ኛዉ የኢትዮጵያ አትሌቲክስ ሻምፒዮና 1ኛ ቀን ውሎ |" (in Amharic). 8 May 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  25. "Tata Consultancy Services World 10K Bengaluru". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  26. "World 10k Bengaluru 2019 results" (PDF).
  27. "Results: Prefontaine Classic (Stanford Diamond League) 2019 | Watch Athletics". www.watchathletics.com. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  28. "Konstanze Klosterhalfen und der Lauf in die absolute Weltspitze". www.leichtathletik.de | Das Leichtathletik-Portal. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  29. Dalek, Brian (30 June 2019). "Highlights From Prefontaine Classic: Caster Semenya Triumphs in Return to 800 Meters". Runner's World. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  30. "3000 Metres Result | Prefontaine Classic". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  31. "Gebrhiwet and Gidey take 10,000m titles at Ethiopian trials in Hengelo| News". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  32. "Hassan completes Diamond distance double in Brussels – IAAF Diamond League| News". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  33. "Diamond League 2019 Brussels 5000 m women" (PDF).
  34. "Report: women's 10,000m - IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019| News | iaaf.org". www.iaaf.org. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  35. race-news -service.com (18 November 2019). "Äthiopierin Gidey rennt 15-km-Weltbestzeit". runnersworld.de (in German). Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  36. "Weergaloos Wereldrecord Voor Letesenbet Gidey Bij Nn Zevenheuvelenloop" (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 November 2019.
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  40. "Joshua Cheptegei smashes 10,000m world record as Letesenbet Gidey sets new women's 5,000m best". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
Records
Preceded by
Tirunesh Dibaba		 Women's 5000 m World Record Holder
7 October 2020 –		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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