Assefa Mezgebu

Assefa Mezgebu ( born June 19, 1978 at the District Sidama, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner.

As a younger brother of the equally successful runner Ayele (born 6 January 1973 1992 Vice Junior World Champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, 1994 eighth at the World Cross Country Championships ) he surpassed soon these and was at the World Athletics Championships in 1997 fifth in 10,000 -meter run. Also in cross-country running to Assefa distinguished and won at the world championships in this discipline in 1998 a bronze medal and 2000 silver medal.

At the World Championships in 1999, he remained in the 10,000 m just behind Haile Gebrselassie (ETH ) and Paul Tergat (KEN ) and won the bronze medal. Even a year later at the Olympic Games in Sydney, he won bronze in the 10,000 m, also only beaten by Haile Gebrselassie and Paul Tergat.

He won his last major success at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton. This time he was ahead of his compatriot Haile to the finish and won behind Charles Waweru Kamathi (KEN ) silver.

Meanwhile, he has crossed over to the marathon distance, but could there not been to build on his successes on the track. In the Maratona di Sant'Antonio 2007, he was fifth in 2:15:47 h, the Zurich Marathon 2008 sixth in 2:14:52 h

Bests

• 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 20 April, 2008, Zurich