Kalkidan Gezahegne (born 8 May 1991)[1] is an Ethiopian-born Bahraini middle- and long-distance runner. She is the 10,000 metres 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medallist. 11 years earlier, at age 18, Gezahegne became the youngest ever female World indoor champion when winning 1500 metres.
 Gezahegne in 2010 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Citizenship | Bahraini |
| Born | 8 May 1991 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
| Sport | |
| Country | Bahrain |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event(s) | Middle-, Long-distance running |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal bests | |
Medal record | |
17-year-old Gezahegne won a silver medal over the 1500m at the 2008 World Junior Championships. She represented Ethiopia before acquiring Bahraini citizenship in 2013.
Life and career
Kalkidan Gezahegne was born in Addis Ababa. She won the silver medal in the 1500 metres at the 2008 World Junior Championships and won another junior silver at the 2009 African Junior Athletics Championships, finishing behind Caster Semenya.[2] Moving up to the senior level, Kalkidan finished eighth in the 1500 m race at the 2009 World Championships and fifth in the 3000 metres at the 2009 World Athletics Final.[3]
Competing at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships, she had a startling comeback to qualify for the final. In the middle of her heat, she collided with Russia's Yevgeniya Zolotova and fell onto the track. She got back up to continue the race, however, and not only caught up with her competitors, but won the race with the fastest time of any runner that day.[4] In the final she outdid compatriot and reigning champion Gelete Burka to win the gold medal. This made the 18-year-old the youngest ever winner of an event at the IAAF World Indoor Championships, beating the previous record set by Gabriela Szabo 15 years earlier.[5] She missed the outdoor season that year due to injury.[6]
On 3 October 2021, Gezahegne broke the world record for the 10 km road race at The Giants Geneva event, running 29:38 and surpassing the previous mark by 5 seconds.[7]
Achievements
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Ethiopia | |||||
| 2008 | World Junior Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 2nd | 1500 m | 4:16.58 |
| 2009 | African Junior Championships | Bambous, Mauritius | 2nd | 1500 m | 4:09.36 |
| World Championships | Berlin, Germany | 8th | 1500 m | 4:08.81 | |
| 2010 | World Indoor Championships | Doha, Qatar | 1st | 1500 m i | 4:08.14 |
| 2011 | World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 5th | 1500 m | 4:06.42 |
Representing  Bahrain | |||||
| 2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 14th | 5000 m | |
| 2018 | West Asian Championships | Amman, Jordan | 2nd | 1500 m | 4:15.24 |
| 2nd | 5000 m | 16:35.46 | |||
| Asian Games | Jakarta, Indonesia | 1st | 1500 m | 4:07.88 | |
| 1st | 5000 m | 15:08.08 | |||
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 2nd | 10,000 m | 29:56.18 |
Personal bests
| Event | Time (m:s) | Date | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 metres | 4:00.97 | 29 May 2011 | Hengelo, Netherlands | |
| 1500 metres indoor | 4:03.28 | 10 February 2010 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| One mile | 4:37.76 | 7 September 2008 | Rieti, Italy | |
| One mile indoor | 4:24.10 | 20 February 2010 | Birmingham, United Kingdom | World under-20 record |
| 3000 metres | 8:34.65 | 4 September 2018 | Zagreb, Croatia | |
| 3000 metres indoor | 8:37.47 | 19 February 2011 | Birmingham, United Kingdom | |
| 5000 metres | 14:52.92 | 1 June 2021 | Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, France | |
| 10,000 metres | 29:50.77 | 8 May 2021 | Maia, Portugal | NR |
| 10 km (road) | 29:38 | 3 October 2021 | Geneva, Switzerland | |
| Half marathon | 1:05:47 | 12 December 2021 | Manama, Bahrain | |