Tsegaye Kebede
![[Photo of Tsegaye Kebede]](http://static.worldmarathonmajors.com/images/athletes/wmm_7607611752071.jpg)
ETHIOPIA
BIRTHDATE:
15 January 1987
PERSONAL BEST:
2:05:18 (Fukuoka, 2009)
WORLD MARATHON MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS:
25Apr10 Virgin London Marathon 1st 2:05:19
22Aug09 IAAF World Championships, Berlin 3rd 2:08:35
26Apr09 Flora London Marathon 2nd 2:05:20
24Aug08 Olympic Games Marathon, Beijing 3rd 2:10:00
ADDITIONAL CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
06Dec09 Fukuoka International Marathon 1st 2:05:18
07Dec08 Fukuoka International Marathon 1st 2:06:10
06Apr08 Paris International Marathon 1st 2:06:40
21Oct07 ING Amsterdam Marathon 8th 2:08:16
10Jun07 Abebe Bikila Marathon 1st 2:15:34
CAREER NOTES:
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics the gold and silver medals had been determined before the athletes entered the stadium, but such was not the case for the bronze. Deriba Merga of Ethiopia was the third man to hit the track for the straightaway plus final lap, but 21-year-old countryman Tsegaye Kebede was just behind him closing fast.
As Merga faded, the youthful Kebede caught him on the back straight and went on to secure the bronze medal, 21 seconds ahead of Merga.
Despite his relative inexperience Kebede's medal-winning performance was not all that unexpected. He made a very strong marathon debut, running 2:15:34 at the high altitude of Addis Ababa in June, 2007 and then dropped all the way to 2:08:16, the fastest eighth place finish in history at Amsterdam in October. Then at the 2008 Paris International Marathon he not only won, but came within seven seconds of the course record, running 2:06:40. He ended the year on a spectacular note, setting a course record of 2:06:10 at the prestigious Fukuoka International Marathon.
Kebede was also involved in one of the most dramatic road race finishes of 2008. At the Ras Al Khaimah International Half-Marathon in February the race came down to the final few meters with Kebede and Kenyan Patrick Makau literally trading elbows. Makau was able to hold off Kebede by just half a step with both timed in 59:35.
In 2009, Kebede bypassed a defense of the Paris Marathon to take on Martin Lel, Sammy Wanjiru and Jaouad Gharib at London. Lel dropped out with an injury and he reached the finish before Gharib, but not before Wanjiru who needed a course record effort to hold off Kebede's new personal best of 2:05:20 which made him the ninth fastest man in history.
Many considered Kebede the favorite at the 2009 World Championships and he was up with the leaders halfway through the race. However he soon dropped back several places, but rallied to earn the bronze medal, his third podium placing in three World Marathon Majors.
In December 2009 Kebede became the first runner to defend his Fukuoka International Marathon title in seven years. In doing so he sliced two seconds off his PR, setting an Asian all-comers record. The sum of his three 2009 marathon times of 6:19:02 was the best in history for a single year, and he did it in eight months.
Returning to London in 2010, Kebede ended the Kenyan string of eight straight victories there as he came within one second of his PR. His top five marathons average of 2:05:45.4 is second only to Haile Gebrselassie.
PERSONAL NOTES:
Kebede was born in Gerar Ber, 42 kilometers north of Addis Ababa, the fifth of 13 children. His family was exceedingly poor and Kebede struggled to get by, earning less than US $1 a day by gathering firewood and later working as a herder.
Just before his first marathon in Addis Ababa a bus he was riding on went off the road, severely injuring several passengers, but Kebede escaped with just a small leg wound and he went on to win the race.