Worknesh Kidane

Werknesh Kidane
Medal record
Werknesh Kidane at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Women's athletics
Representing Ethiopia
World Championships
	2003 Paris	10,000 m
World Cross Country Championships
	2003 Lausanne	Long race
	2002 Dublin	Short race
	2003 Lausanne	Short race
	2005 St Etienne	Short race
	2004 Brussels	Long race
	2005 St Etienne	Long race

Werknesh Kidane (born November 21, 1981), is an Ethiopian long distance runner who competes in both 5000 and 10,000 metres. She has won numerous medals at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and represented Ethiopia at the Summer Olympics in 2000, 2004 and 2012. She was the silver medallist at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics and a gold medallist at the 2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

She was born in the historic town of Maychew, Tigray, and her first international title came at the 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships where she topped the podium in the junior race. She made her Olympic debut as a teenager and came seventh in the 5000 m final at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She won the 2002 Great Ethiopian Run and came second in the short race at the 2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

Werknesh began her 2003 season with a win at the Antrim International Cross Country and then went on to take the women's long race title at the 2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. She won the silver medal in the 10,000 m at the 2003 All-Africa Games, finishing behind fellow Ethiopian Ejegayehu Dibaba. Her season peaked at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics where she set a 10,000 m personal best of 30:07.15 minutes to secure the runner-up position behind Ethiopian veteran Berhane Adere who broke the African record for the event. The following year she came fourth in the event at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She also won the long race bronze medal at the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, as well as taking fourth in the short race.