Gete Wami

Gete Wami ( born December 11, 1974 in Debre Berhan ) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, world champion and two -time medalist at the Olympic Games.

Your first big success came in 1992 in Seoul when she was vice-world champion in the junior 10,000 -meter run.

In the African Championships in 1993 and at the Pan-African Games in 1995 she won the bronze medal in the 10,000 m. 1996 and 1999 she was World Cross Country Champion on the long distance.

At the World Athletics Championships in 1999 in Seville, she won the 10,000 m in front of Paula Radcliffe (GBR) and Tegla Loroupe (KEN ).

The following year, she put in Heusden with 14:30,88 on an African record over 5000 m. At the Summer Olympics in Sydney in 2000 then won the bronze medal in the 5000 -meter run behind Gabriela Szabo (ROM) and Sonia O'Sullivan ( IRL ) and the silver medal in the 10,000 -meter run with her personal best of 30:22, 48 behind Derartu Tulu (ETH ) and before Fernanda Ribeiro ( POR).

In 2001, she was only World Cross Country Champion on the short distance, and (as in the previous year ) Vice World Champion on the long distance and then pulled at the World Championships in Edmonton the bronze medal in the 10,000 m behind their rural women Derartu Tulu and Berhane Adere.

In 2002 she won the Amsterdam Marathon in 2:22:19 and in 2006 the Berlin Marathon in 2:21:34. Both times were Ethiopian record in the marathon, the second shortly thereafter was surpassed by Berhane Adere the Chicago Marathon.

In 2007, she was second in the London Marathon in 2:21:45 and won again the Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:23:17. Five weeks later, she won the New York City Marathon second place behind Paula Radcliffe in 2:23:32, becoming the winner of the series 2006/ 07 World Marathon Majors.

In 2008, she was third in the London Marathon, although they had fallen at km 30.

Gete Wami is 1,54 m tall and weighs 45 kg. Since 1999 she has been married to Geteneh Tessema, and since 2003 she is the mother of a daughter.