At the 2012 Boston Marathon he faltered in warm temperatures and ended the race in 14th place with a time of 2:22:56 hours. He qualified to represent Ethiopia at the 2012 London Olympics and finished eighth in the Olympic 10,000 metres final. He was runner-up to Mo Farah, the winner of the Olympic race, at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon in February 2013.