His second international call-up came for the 2016 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and he was among the leaders of the race before falling back into third, then fourth position behind Olympic champion Mo Farah after a sprint finish for the bronze medal. His finishing time of 59:59 minutes was a new best (in spite of rainy conditions) and meant that he led the Ethiopians to the team silver medals, alongside Tamirat Tola and Mule Wasihun.