Team Ethiopia is ready to add another chapter to the country’s proud athletics history at Paris 2024. The nation has picked up at least one gold medal at every Summer Games since 1992 and there are plenty of candidates to keep that streak going this year.
The group contains three athletes that won medals at the last Olympic Games and after picking up nine medals at the last World Championships, confidence is high that they can surpass their total of four medals at Tokyo 2020.
SELEMON BAREGA
Barega was the one Ethiopian that won gold in Tokyo and will be one of the favourites in the 10 000m again in Paris. He has even improved his personal best in the event since then and could emulate Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele as countrymen who have won the event back-to-back.
GUDAF TSEGAY
Tsegay picked up bronze in the women’s 5 000m in Tokyo and is a serious medal contender in no less than three events in Paris.
She is the current world record holder in the 5 000m, the current world champion in the 10 000m and recently set her personal best time in the 1 500m.
There have been several instances of Ethiopians winning a medal in two different events at the same Summer Games, but Tsegay could be the first to pull off three.
LAMECHA GIRMA
Girma made history by becoming the first Ethiopian man to win silver in the 3 000m steeplechase in Tokyo.
While the event has a history of being dominated by Kenyan athletes, Girma has been consistently challenging with three successive second place finishes in World Championships.
Diribe Welteji won silver in the 1 500m at the most recent World Championships.
The next month, she set her personal best time for the distance in Eugene and is Ethiopia’s best hope of challenging Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon in the event at Paris 2024.
BEHIRU AREGAWI
Aregawi narrowly missed out on a medal with a finish of fourth in the 10 000m race at Tokyo 2020 and in the World Championships last year.
Still only 23 years old, there could be multiple opportunities for him to add to the list of Ethiopians that have won gold in the event.
EJGAYEHU TAYE
Taye is another young runner with Olympic experience having finished fifth in the 5 000m in Tokyo.
She’s fresh from picking up her first major senior medal at the last World Championships and is a serious contender to be on the podium along with Tsegay.
YOMIF KEJELCHA
Kejelcha has a wealth of junior gold medals in his cabinet but only has one silver from the 2019 World Championships to show for his major outdoor senior career.
He’ll compete in both the 5 000m and 10 000m and has shown incredible form in road events having recently beaten Joshua Cheptegei in a 10K road race.
WORKNESH MESELE
Mesele qualified for Tokyo 2020 but missed out through injury. She reached the semifinals of the 800m at the World Championships last year and will dream of becoming the first Ethiopian to get an Olympic medal in the event.
