He won the Dublin Marathon in 2009 in his debut race and then won the Xiamen International Marathon in 2010. He was the bronze medalist at the 2011 World Championships marathon and the silver medalist in the 2016 Rio Olympics marathon. On the final day of the 2016 Rio Olympics (21 August), as he was crossing the finish line of the Men's Marathon and winning his silver medal, he raised his arms in a gesture of solidarity with protestors against the killing of the Oromo people in his home country of Ethiopia. Citing fear for his life if he returned to Ethiopia, he said in a press conference following the race that he would, "try and move to another country." One of the countries he mentioned was the U.S. and the State Department was asked about this possibility.