Haile Gebrselassie

Haile Gebrselassie
	Haile in 2012
Personal information
Born	18 April 1973; Asella, Arsi Province, Ethiopian Empire
Height	1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight	54 kg (119 lb)
Sport
Country	Ethiopia
Sport	Athletics/Track, Long-distance running
Event(s)	10,000 metres, 5000 metres, 3000 metres, 1500 metres, Half marathon, Marathon
Club	Adidas
Retired	May 2015
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	1996 Atlanta; 10,000 m, Gold; 2000 Sydney; 10,000 m, Gold; 2004 Athens; 10,000 m, 5th; 2008 Beijing; 10,000 m, 6th;
World finals	1993 Stuttgart; 5000 m, Silver; 10,000 m, Gold; 1995 Gothenburg; 10,000 m, Gold; 1997 Athens; 10,000 m, Gold; 1999 Seville; 10,000 m, Gold; 2001 Edmonton; 10,000 m, Bronze; 2003 Paris; 10,000 m, Silver;
Personal bests	1500 m: 3:33.73 (Stuttgart 1999); Mile: 3:52.39 (Gateshead 1999); 3000 m: 7:25.09 NR (Brussels 1998); 2 miles: 8:01.08 NBP (Hengelo 1997); 5000 m: 12:39.36 (Helsinki 1998); 10,000 m: 26:22.75 (Hengelo 1998); Indoors; 800 m: 1:49.35i (Dortmund 1997); 1500 m: 3:31.76i (Stuttgart 1998); 2000 m: 4:52.86i (Birmingham 1998); 3000 m: 7:26.15i (Karlsruhe 1998); 2 miles: 8:04.69i (Birmingham 2003); 5000 m: 12:50.38i (Birmingham 1999); Road; 10 km: 27:02 (Doha 2002); 10 miles: 44:24 WBP (Tilburg 2005); Half marathon: 58:55 (Tempe 2006); Marathon: 2:03:59 (Berlin 2008);
Medal record
Representing Ethiopia
Olympic Games
World Championships
World Indoor Championships
African Championships
World Cross Country Championships
World Half Marathon Championships
World Junior Championships
President of Ethiopian Athletic Federation
	In office; 6 November 2016 – 14 November 2018
Preceded by	Sileshi Sihine
Succeeded by	Derartu Tulu

Haile Gebrselassie (Amharic: ኀይሌ ገብረ ሥላሴ, romanized: Haylē Gebre Silassē; born 18 April 1973) is an Ethiopian former long-distance track, road running athlete, and businessman. He won two Olympic gold medals and four World Championship titles over the 10,000 metres. Haile triumphed in the Berlin Marathon four times consecutively and also had three straight wins at the Dubai Marathon. He also earned four world titles indoors and was the 2001 World Half Marathon Champion.

Haile had major competition wins at distances between 1,500 metres and the marathon, moving from outdoor, indoor and cross country running to road running in the latter part of his career. He broke 61 Ethiopian national records, ranging from 800 metres to the marathon, set 27 world records, and is regarded as one of the greatest long distance runners in history. He won the 2008 Berlin Marathon with a world record time of 2:03:59, breaking his own world record by 27 seconds. The record stood for three years. Haile's 10,000 m Masters age group world record remains unchallenged since 2008. Due to his various achievements on track & road running events, many called him as the "Emperor of the Distance Running".

Haile was cited as one of the top 100 most influential Africans by New African in 2011. During the Hachalu Hundessa riots in 2020, Oromo mobs targeted the businesses and properties of non-Oromos. Haile's hotels and resort were burned and 400 employees lost their jobs. In 2021, in the midst of the Tigray War, he pledged to join the fighting against the Tigray People's Liberation Front.

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