Gete won gold medal at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, timing 30:24.56, which was a new African record and Championships Record. She also won the 10,000 m gold medal at the 1999 All-Africa Games that year. She is a two-time winner of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, having taken the long race title in 1996 and then the short race title in 2001.