Elfenesh Alemu

Elfenesh Alemu ( born June 10, 1975 in Lemo Arya at Bekoji ) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specializes in the marathon.

You grew up with ten brothers and sisters in the province of Arsi on, come from the many other prominent athletes, and had at school together with her younger sister Asnakech that later the long-distance runner Habte Jifar married, sporting success.

In 1997, she came in 15th place at the World Athletics Championships in Athens. In the same year she managed the Amsterdam Marathon her first big win. The following year she was second in the Barcelona Marathon, Fifth Third at the Cologne Marathon and the Amsterdam Marathon.

In 1999, she remained in second place of the Nagano Marathon in 2:28:59 for the first time under the two and a half hour mark. At the World Cup in 1999 in Seville was in Fifth 2:28:52.

The following year it increased further to 2:24:47 (fourth place at the Osaka Women's Marathon ), won the Nagano Marathon in 2:24:55 and finished sixth in the marathon in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

In 2001, she finished fifth in the London Marathon in her personal best time of 2:24:29 and the Chicago Marathon in 2:24:54 second behind Catherine Ndereba, which set a world record in this race.

In 2002, she was third in the Boston Marathon. The following year she finished sixth at the 2003 World Championships in Paris / Saint- Denis and won the Tokyo International Women's Marathon in 2:24:47.

At the Boston Marathon the following year she finished second with their sixth sub-2 :25- time. At the 2004 Olympics in Sydney, she landed in fourth place, and at the end of the season they finished third at the Tokyo International Women's Marathon.

In 2005 she was runner-up in Boston as last year and third in Tokyo; also she finished second at the Rock 'n ' Roll Marathon in San Diego.

Elfenesh Alemu is 1.67 m tall, weighs 51 kg and is managed by the Ethiopian national team coach Yilma Berta. In 2003 she married the marathon runner Gezahegne Abera, with whom she lives in Addis Ababa. The wedding was one of the largest in Addis Ababa, to the approximately 25,000 guests included the runner Derartu Tulu, Fatuma Roba, and Haile Gebrselassie.