# Bezunesh Bekele

Bezunesh Bekele Sertsu (born 29 January 1983) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specializes in cross-country running and marathons.

## Biography

Bezunesh Bekele Sertsu was born on January 29, 1983, in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. In her early career, she achieved notable success in road races, securing back-to-back victories at the Montferland Run in 2004 and 2005, as well as winning the Rotterdam Half Marathon. Her triumph at the Cross Internacional de Itálica in 2006 highlighted her talent, and she later placed sixth in the short race at the 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. In 2007, she added significant circuit victories, including wins at the Zevenheuvelenloop and the Portugal Half Marathon.
At the 2007 IAAF World Road Running Championships, Bezunesh finished fourth, setting a national half marathon record of 1:08:07. However, this record was later surpassed by Dire Tune, who clocked 1:07:18 at the 2009 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon. Bezunesh narrowly missed being selected for the 2008 Ethiopian Olympic team, despite having faster times than Tune, which caused tension between the two runners. In 2008, she placed third at the Great Manchester Run, finishing behind Jo Pavey and Rose Cheruiyot.
Bezunesh debuted in the marathon with a time of 2:23:09 at the 2008 Dubai Marathon, securing second place behind Birhane Adere. Her time ranked among the fastest ever for a debut marathon. She returned to Dubai in 2009 and won the marathon, beating Atsede Habtamu by over a minute. That year, she represented Ethiopia in the marathon at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, finishing in 16th place. In 2010, she came fourth at the London Marathon with a time of 2:23:17, and later secured second place at the Berlin Marathon with a time of 2:24:58.
In the 2011 London Marathon, Bezunesh achieved the best result by an Ethiopian runner, finishing fourth in 2:23:42. She again finished fourth at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, narrowly missing a medal. In 2012, Bezunesh improved her personal best with a time of 2:20:30 at the Dubai Marathon, ranking as the third fastest Ethiopian woman and one of the top twenty fastest women for the event.
Later in 2012, she placed fourth at the Yangzhou Half Marathon but improved during the year, winning the Great Scottish Run and setting a personal best of 51:45 in the 10-mile race at the Dam tot Damloop, where she finished second. She capped off the year with a fourth-place finish at the Frankfurt Marathon.
Bezunesh is married to fellow Ethiopian marathon runner Tessema Abshiro, who is also a member of the Ethiopian national team.

## Achievements

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
| 1999 | World Cross Country Championships | Belfast, Northern Ireland | 35th | Junior race |
| 2000 | World Cross Country Championships | Vilamoura, Portugal | 13th | Junior race |
| 2002 | World Cross Country Championships | Dublin, Republic of Ireland | 6th | Junior race |
| 2003 | World Cross Country Championships | Lausanne, Switzerland | 28th | Short race |
| 2004 | World Cross Country Championships | Brussels, Belgium | 18th | Short race |
| 2004 | World Half Marathon Championships | New Delhi, India | 8th | Half marathon |
| 2005 | World Cross Country Championships | St Etienne, France | 12th | Short race |
| 2005 | World Cross Country Championships | St Etienne, France | 10th | Long race |
| 2006 | World Cross Country Championships | Fukuoka, Japan | 9th | Short race |
| 2006 | African Championships | Bambous, Mauritius | 5th | 10,000 m |
| 2007 | World Road Running Championships | Udine, Italy | 4th | Half marathon |
| 2009 | World Championships | Berlin, Germany | 16th | Marathon |
| 2010 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 4th | Marathon |
| 2010 | Berlin Marathon | Berlin, Germany | 2nd | Marathon |
| 2011 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 4th | Marathon |
| 2011 | World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 4th | Marathon |

### Personal bests

| Event | Time | Venue | Date |
| 3000 metres | 8:52.08 | Gateshead, United Kingdom | 11 June 2006 |
| 5000 metres | 15:02.48 | Hengelo, Netherlands | 28 May 2006 |
| 10,000 metres | 31:10.68 | Utrecht, Netherlands | 17 June 2005 |
| 10 kilometres | 31:20 | Udine, Italy | 14 October 2007 |
| 15 kilometres | 47:36 | Nijmegen, Netherlands | 18 November 2007 |
| 20 kilometres | 1:04:40 | Udine, Italy | 14 October 2007 |
| Half marathon | 1:08:07 | Udine, Italy | 14 October 2007 |
| Marathon | 2:20:30 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | 27 January 2011 |