Zersenay Tadese

Zersenay Tadese

Zersenay at the 2009 World Championships
Personal information
Nationality	Eritrean
Born	(1982-02-08) February 8, 1982 (age 35)
Height	1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Weight	54 kg (119 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	10,000 metres
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	3000 metres: 7:39.93 2-mile: 8:19.34 5000 metres: 12:59.27 10,000 metres: 26:37.25 Half Marathon: 58:23 WR Marathon: 2:10:41
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Eritrea Olympic Games 2004 Athens 10,000 m World Championships 2009 Berlin 10,000 m World Cross Country Championships 2007 Mombasa Individual 2005 Saint-Etienne Long race (individual) 2006 Fukuoka Long race (team) 2004 Brussels Long race (team) 2008 Edinburgh Individual 2009 Amman Individual 2009 Amman Team World Half Marathon Championships 2006 Debrecen Individual 2007 Udine Individual 2008 Rio de Janeiro Individual 2009 Birmingham Individual 2012 Kavarna Individual 2010 Nanning Individual All-Africa Games 2007 Algiers 10,000 m 2015 Brazzaville Half Marathon
Updated on 17 September 2015.

Zersenay Tadese (Tigrinya: ዘርኢሰናይ ታደሰ; born 8 February 1982) is an Eritrean long-distance track, and road running athlete. He currently holds the men's half marathon world record. His bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2004 Athens Olympics made him the first ever Eritrean Olympic medallist, and his 20 km title at the 2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships also made him the country's first athlete to win at a world championship event. He does not use a sprint finish to win races: his strategy relies upon a combination of efficient running and fast pace setting.

Zersenay ('Tadese' is his father's name) has found most of his success over the half marathon distance, with four consecutive victories in the World Half Marathon Championships from 2006 to 2009, a fifth title in 2012, and a world record at the Lisbon Half Marathon in 2010. He has also excelled in cross country running, winning a gold, one silver, and two bronze medals in the long distance race over five IAAF World Cross Country Championships. He is a Four-time Olympian (2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016).

In 2009 Zersenay became only the second man (after Paul Tergat) to win three World Championship medals over three different surfaces in the same year: winning World Cross Country bronze, 10,000 metres World Championship silver on the track, and gold in road running at the World Half Marathon Championships. He is a popular public figure in his home country; 2500 guests attended his wedding to Merhawit Solomon, which was broadcast live on Eritrean television. His brother, Kidane Tadese, is also a professional distance runner.