Quick Facts
Biography
Ejegayehu Dibaba Keneni (Amharic: እጅጋዬሁ ዲባባ;Afaan Oromo: Ijigaayahuu Dibaabaa; born 21 March 1982 in Bekoji) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner.
She is a member of the Oromo ethnic group from the high-altitude Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region. She is the third child of six, her younger sisters Tirunesh and Genzebe are also international long distance athletes, and brother Dejene is marked as a future star. Like her sister Tirunesh, her aunt Derartu Tulu is a double Olympic gold medalist (1992 and 2000).
Career
Ejegayehu beat her cousin to take the silver medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics, her two bronze medals at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics were behind her sister winning the gold in the final sprint.
She took part in a 7 km race at the Memorial Peppe Greco in September 2010 and took second place behind Sylvia Kibet.
Ejegayehu made her debut over the marathon distance at the 2011 Chicago Marathon and defeated Kayoko Fukushi by 2 minutes, 29 seconds in making her marathon debut at 2:22:09, the third fastest debut time and easily winning her marathon debut. Ejegayehu Dibaba is 1.60 m tall and weighs 46 kg.
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | African Championships | Radès, Tunisia | 3rd | 5000 m |
| 2003 | World Cross Country Championships | Lausanne, Switzerland | 9th | Short race |
| 2nd | Team competition | |||
| World Championships | Paris, France | 9th | 10,000 m | |
| Afro-Asian Games | Hyderabad, India | 1st | 10,000 m | |
| Athletics at the 2003 All-Africa Games | Abuja,Nigeria | 1st | 10,000 m | |
| 2004 | World Cross Country Championships | Lausanne, Switzerland | 10th | Short race |
| 1st | Team competition | |||
| 2nd | Long race | |||
| 1st | Team competition | |||
| Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | 2nd | 10,000 m | |
| World Athletics Final | Monte Carlo, Monaco | 3rd | 5000 m | |
| 2005 | World Cross Country Championships | St Etienne, France | 14th | Short race |
| World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 3rd | 5000 m | |
| 3rd | 10,000 m | |||
| 2006 | World Cross Country Championships | Fukuoka, Japan | 14th | Long race |
| World Athletics Final | Stuttgart, Germany | 4th | 5000 m | |
| 2007 | World Championships | Osaka, Japan | 6th | 10,000 m |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 14th | 10,000 m |
| 2008 African Championships in Athletics | Addis Ababa,Ethiopia | 2nd | 10,000 m |
Personal bests
- 3000 metres - 8:35.94 min (2006)
- 5000 metres - 14:32.74 min (2004)
- 10,000 metres - 30:18.39 min (2005)
- Half marathon - 1:16:40 hrs (2001)
- Marathon - 2:22:09 hrs (2011)