# Freweyni Hailu

Freweyni Hailu (born 12 February 2001) is an Ethiopian middle-distance runner. She won the gold medal at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships over 1500 metres.
She placed fifth in the 1500 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In 2022, Freweyni became the World Indoor silver medallist at the 800 metres in Belgrade.

## Career

Freweyni Hailu gained her first international experience in 2018 at the World Junior Championships in Tampere, Finland, where she placed fifth in the women's 800m event.
The next year, she was fourth in the under-20 800m race at the African U18–U20 Championships in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Freweyni competed in the women's 800 metres at the 2019 African Games, where she was eliminated in the semi-finals.
In June 2021, at the Ethiopian Olympic trials, she ran a personal best in the women's 1500 metres to make the Olympic standard qualifying time for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She, Lemlem Hailu, and Diribe Welteji were named to the Ethiopian team. At the Games, she finished in fourth place in a time of 3:57.60 behind only, 1–3, Faith Kipyegon, Laura Muir and Sifan Hassan.
On 14 September 2021, at the Hanžeković Memorial in Zagreb, Freweyni set an Ethiopian record for the 2000 metres with a time of 5m 25.86s, finishing behind only Francine Niyonsaba who set in this race a world record of 5:21.56. Freweyni's mark was the third-fastest in history.
In March 2022, Freweyni won the silver medal in the 800m at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade with a personal best time of 2:00.54. Ajeé Wilson came first in 1:59.09, and Halimah Nakaayi was third (2:00.66). It was the first global medal at the indoor 800m for the Ethiopian women in history.
In 2023, she ran a number of personal best times. Including 3:55.68 in the 1500m at the Diamond League final in Eugene, 8:26.61 in the 3000 metres in Chorzow, and 14:23.45 in the 5000 metres in Paris. She finished seventh in the 5000m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest in 14:58.31.
In January 2024, competing in Ostrava, she won the women’s mile setting a meeting record and a world leading time of 4:17.36. The time placed her sixth in the women’s mile short track all-time rankings. At the 2024 Copernicus Cup in February 2024, she set a new 1500m personal best, running 3:55.28. She won the gold medal in the final of the women's 1500 metres race at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
In May 2024, she led from the front to win the 1500 metres at the 2024 Doha Diamond League.
In February 2025, she won the 3000 metres race at the Czech Indoor Gala in Ostrava with a personal best time of 8:24.17. The following week, she won over 3000 metres in 8:19.98, improving on the world-leading mark she had set in Ostrava nine days prior and moving up to third on the world indoor all-time list, in Liévin on 13 February 2025. She was awarded a wild card place for the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, for her performances on the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Tour.

## Competition record

Representing  Ethiopia :
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time |
| 2018 | World Junior Championships | Tampere, Finland | 5th | 800 m | 2:02.80 |
| 2019 | African U18 / U20 Championships, U20 events | Abidjan, Ivory Coast | 4th | 800 m | 2:06.98 |
| 2019 | African Games | Rabat, Morocco | 11th (sf) | 800 m | 2:05.73 |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 4th | 1500 m | 3:57.60 |
| 2022 | World Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 2nd | 800 m i | 2:00.54 PB |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, United States | 11th (sf) | 800 m | 2:00.11 |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, United States | 4th | 1500 m | 4:01.28 |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 7th | 5000 m | 14:58.31 |
| 2024 | World Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 1st | 1500 m | 4:01.46 |

### Circuit wins

* Diamond League
** 2021 (1500m): Lausanne Athletissima

## Personal bests

* 800 metres – 1:57.57 (Chorzów 2021)
** 800 metres indoor – 2:00.46 (Karlsruhe 2023)
* 1500 metres – 3:55.68 (Eugene 2023)
** 1500 metres indoor – 4:02.50 (Toruń 2022)
* Mile run - 4:14.79 (Monaco, 2023)
** Mile run indoors - 4:17.36 (Ostrava, 2024)
* 2000 metres – 5:25.86 (Zagreb 2021) NR
* 3000 metres - 8:24.17 (Ostrava, 2025)
* 5000 metres - 14:23.45 (Paris, 2023)