Askale Tafa Magarsa
ETHIOPIA
BIRTHDATE:
September 27, 1984
PERSONAL BEST:
2:21:31 (Berlin, 2008)
WORLD MARATHON MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS:
28Sep08 real,- Berlin Marathon 2nd 2:21:31
21Apr08 Boston Marathon 5th 2:29:48
09Sep07 IAAF World Championships, Osaka 22nd 2:38:01
25Sep05 real,- Berlin Marathon 3rd 2:28:27
ADDITIONAL CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
18Jan08 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon 3rd 2:23:23
15Apr07 Paris International Marathon 1st 2:25:07
12Jan07 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon 1st 2:27:19
08Oct06 Samsung Milano City Marathon 1st 2:27:57
04Jun06 Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon 4th 2:29:47
15Jan06 P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon 2nd 2:31:46
13Mar05 Rome Marathon 3rd 2:32:34
CAREER NOTES:
Askale Tafa Magarsa is one of the best young women marathoners in the world and she has shown steady progress over the past four years. Her personal best times have progressed from 2:28:27 (2005); 2:27:57 (2006); 2:25:07 (2007); 2:21:31 (2008).
She has demonstrated her ability to run well in warm weather conditions at both Dubai and Paris in 2007. She prevailed at the former race in 2:27:19 and was victorious at the latter race in 2:25:07. In January 2008 she finished 41 seconds out of first place at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, knocking 1:44 off her previous PR.
At Boston last April she scored her first World Marathon Majors point by finishing in fifth place. Then in September she set out on a very aggressive 2:18 marathon pace for the first half of the Berlin Marathon. Although Irina Mikitenko eventually sped by her, Tafa reached the finish line in 2:21:31 making her the second fastest Ethiopian marathoner of all-time.
Tafa has competed well at other distances including second place at the 2006 Berlin 25-K (1:28:13) and a 1:15:20 PR at the 2005 Berlin Half-Marathon.
PERSONAL NOTES:
Askale Tafa Magarsa was born in Ethiopia in the same Arsi Province as Kenenisa Bekele. Her husband is world-class distance runner Tola Debele Gudeta, who has run 1:03 for 20K and paced Askale to the finish in both of her marathon PRs in 2008. Tafa trains in Europe with other members of the Rosa Associ management group.
