# Abebe Mekonnen

Abebe Mekonnen (born 16 October 1964) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner.
Mekkonen was the winner of the 93rd Boston Marathon in 1989. He also competed for Ethiopia in the 1992 Olympics and 1996 Olympics in the marathon. He did not finish in the 1992 games and finished 81st with a time of 2:29:45 in the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Mekonnen has the most sub 2:15 marathons of anyone: 32 in all. When he ran his 28th sub-2:15 marathon he broke the record set by Bill Rodgers.
His best time was 2:07:35 in the 1988 Beijing Marathon, which is still course record.

## Achievements

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| Representing Ethiopia ||||||
| 1984 | Friendship Games | Moscow, Soviet Union | 2nd | Marathon | 2:11:30 |
| 1985 | Tokyo International Marathon | Tokyo, Japan | 4th | Marathon | 2:12:39 |
| 1985 | 1985 World Marathon Cup | Hiroshima, Japan | 5th | Marathon | 2:09:05 |
| 1985 | Fukuoka Marathon | Fukuoka, Japan | 7th | Marathon | 2:13:23 |
| 1986 | Tokyo International Marathon | Tokyo, Japan | 3rd | Marathon | 2:08:39 |
| 1986 | Rotterdam Marathon | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 1st | Marathon | 2:09:08 |
| 1986 | Marathon Oasis de Montreal | Montréal, Canada | 1st | Marathon | 2:10:31 |
| 1987 | Tokyo International Marathon | Tokyo, Japan | 3rd | Marathon | 2:11:54 |
| 1987 | Paris Marathon | Paris, France | 1st | Marathon | 2:11:09 |
| 1987 | All-Africa Games | Nairobi, Kenya | 2nd | 10,000 m | 28:58.70 |
| 1987 | World Championships | Rome, Italy | — | Marathon | DNF |
| 1988 | Tokyo Marathon | Tokyo, Japan | 1st | Marathon | 2:08:33 |
| 1988 | Rotterdam Marathon | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 4th | Marathon | 2:09:33 |
| 1988 | Beijing Marathon | Beijing, PR China | 1st | Marathon | 2:07:35 |
| 1989 | Boston Marathon | Boston, United States | 1st | Marathon | 2:09:06 |
| 1989 | Fukuoka Marathon | Fukuoka, Japan | 7th | Marathon | 2:14:29 |
| 1990 | Rotterdam Marathon | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 2nd | Marathon | 2:11:52 |
| 1991 | Tokyo Marathon | Tokyo, Japan | 1st | Marathon | 2:10:26 |
| 1991 | Boston Marathon | Boston, United States | 2nd | Marathon | 2:11:22 |
| 1991 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | — | Marathon | DNF |
| 1991 | Fukuoka Marathon | Fukuoka, Japan | 4th | Marathon | 2:11:39 |
| 1992 | Boston Marathon | Boston, United States | 8th | Marathon | 2:13:09 |
| 1992 | Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | — | Marathon | DNF |
| 1993 | Tokyo Marathon | Tokyo, Japan | 1st | Marathon | 2:12:00 |
| 1993 | World Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | — | Marathon | DNF |
| 1994 | Tokyo International Marathon | Tokyo, Japan | 5th | Marathon | 2:12:13 |
| 1994 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 2nd | Marathon | 2:09:17 |
| 1994 | Beijing Marathon | Beijing, China | 2nd | Marathon | 2:11:33 |
| 1995 | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 47th | Marathon | 2:32:35 |
| 1996 | Lake Biwa Marathon | Ōtsu, Japan | 3rd | Marathon | 2:11:55 |
| 1996 | Boston Marathon | Boston, United States | 6th | Marathon | 2:10:21 |
| 1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 81st | Marathon | 2:29:45 |
| 1996 | Beijing Marathon | Beijing, China | 7th | Marathon | 2:13:21 |
| 1997 | Seoul International Marathon | Seoul, South Korea | 3rd | Marathon | 2:12:45 |
| 1997 | Rotterdam Marathon | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 5th | Marathon | 2:08:46 |
| 1997 | Chuncheon Marathon | Chuncheon, South Korea | 4th | Marathon | 2:10:27 |
| 1998 | Tiberias Marathon | Sea of Gallilee, Israel | 2nd | Marathon | 2:14:09 |
| 1998 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 5th | Marathon | 2:09:52 |
| 1998 | Berlin Marathon | Berlin, Germany | 8th | Marathon | 2:12:13 |