Kalkidan Gezahegne (born 8 May 1991) 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.
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.Ouma, Mark (2009-08-02). African Junior Champs, Day 4. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-03-15. 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.
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.Morse, Parker (2010-03-12). Doha 2010 - Day 1 Wrap. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-03-12. 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.Ramsak, Bob (2010-03-14). Doha 2010 - Gezahegne recovers from heat tumble to become youngest ever female champion. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-03-15. She missed the outdoor season that year due to injury.Jalava, Mirko & Julin, A. Lennart (2010-12-28). 2010 - End of Year Reviews – Middle Distances. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-12-28.
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.
Achievements International competitions Representing 2008World Junior ChampionshipsBydgoszcz, Poland2nd1500 m4:16.582009African Junior ChampionshipsBambous, Mauritius2nd1500 m4:09.36World ChampionshipsBerlin, Germany8th1500 m4:08.812010World Indoor ChampionshipsDoha, Qatar1st1500 m 4:08.142011World ChampionshipsDaegu, South Korea5th1500 m4:06.42Representing 2017World ChampionshipsLondon, United Kingdom14th5000 m2018West Asian ChampionshipsAmman, Jordan2nd1500 m4:15.242nd5000 m16:35.46Asian GamesJakarta, Indonesia1st1500 m4:07.881st5000 m15:08.082021Olympic GamesTokyo, Japan2nd10,000 m29:56.18
Personal bests Event Time (m:s) Date Venue Notes1500 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 record3000 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 10 km (road) 29:38 3 October 2021 Geneva, Switzerland Half marathon 1:05:47 12 December 2021 Manama, Bahrain
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