Selemon Barega
Selemon Barega Shirtaga (born 20 January 2000) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and a silver for the 5000 metres at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. Barega is a two-time 3000 metres World Indoor Championship medallist, taking a silver in 2018, and a gold in 2022. He won gold medals at the 2016 World U20 Championships (5000m), and 2017 World U18 Championships (3000m). Barega represented Ethiopia in the 5000m at the 2017 World Championships in London, finishing fifth in  the final. Career. Selemon was born in the Gurage area of Ethiopia. He began competing internationally in 2016. On 23 July, he won the IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland in 13:21.21. 2017–18. In 2017, Selemon competed in the U20 Race at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships; he placed 5th. Selemon won the African U20 Championships in Tlemcen, Algeria over 5000m clocking 13:51.43 on 2 July. On 6 July, Selemon clocked his first sub-13 minute 5000m at the Lausanne Diamond League Meeting placing 2nd in 12:55.58. On 16 July, Selemon won the Nairobi IAAF World U18  Championships in the 3000m clocking 7:47.16. At the 2017 World Championships in Athletics in London, Selemon placed 5th in the men's 5000m final in a time of 13:35.34, the race was won by compatriot Muktar Edris. In 2018, Selemon placed 2nd at the 3000m at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom clocking a time of 8:15.59 on 4 March. On 25 May, Selemon won the 2 Mile Race at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. Selemon's next major championships was on 14 July at the IAAF World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland where  he placed 4th in 13:21.16. On 31 August, Selemon set a World U20 Record at 5000m at the Bruxelles Memorial Van Damme Diamond League Meeting clocking a time of 12:43.02. This performance ranks him as the 5th fastest 5000m performer of all-time, behind Joshua Cheptegei, Kenenisa Bekele, Haile Gebrselassie, and Daniel Komen. 2019–20. Selemon competed at the World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus, Denmark in the Senior Men's Race. Selemon placed 4th and was the first Ethiopian to finish in a race won by Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei. Selemon placed second at the Diamond League Meetings  in Shanghai on 18 May and the Diamond League in Rome on 6 June. On 13 June, Selemon won the 3000m at the Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway clocking 7:32.17. On 30 June, Selemon placed 3rd at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon over 2 miles in a time of 8:08.69. On 5 July, Selemon was 2nd at the Lausanne Diamond League Meeting clocking 13:01.99 in the 5000m. On 17 July, Selemon was second at the Ethiopian Trials in Hengelo, Netherlands in a personal best time of 26:49.46 finishing behind Hagos Gebrhiwet. On 29 August, Selemon was 5th  at the 5000m at the Zurich Diamond League. On 27 September, Selemon won his heat of the men's 5000m at the 2019 World Championships in Athletics in Doha, Qatar, and on 30 September, he finished 2nd in the final in 12:59.70, outsprinted by compatriot Muktar Edris. In February 2020, Selemon competed at several indoor track races in Europe. Selemon's next race was on 8 September at the Golden Spike Ostrava where he contested the 5000m, placing 2nd in 12:49.08. Despite attempting to sprint pass Jacob Kiplimo in the final 100m, the Ugandan held on  to win in a time of 12:48.63. Selemon next raced a 1500m at the Gala dei Castelli in Switzerland placing 3rd 3:36.07 on 15 September. At the Doha Diamond League Meeting on 25 September Selemon raced 1500m in 3:32.97, placing 2nd. Selemon headed back to Ethiopia where on 26 December he raced 1500m at the Ethiopian Clubs Competition in Addis Abeba winning in 3:38.1. 2021. In 2021, Selemon won the Olympic candidate trial competition in Addis Abeba recording a time of 27:58.5. Selemon competed at several indoor track races in January at February including a 7:26.10 Indoor  3000m clocking him placing second behind compatriot Getnet Wale. Selemon became the 3rd fastest performer in history over the 3000m Indoor with his performance, behind Kenya's Daniel Komen who clocked 7:24.90 on 6 February 1998 and compatriot Getnet Wale who won the race ahead of Selemon in 7:24.98. Selemon next raced two Indoor 1500m races on the World Athletics Indoor Tour winning both, first at the Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland he clocked a 3:32.97 on 17 February, and then on 24 February, a 3:35.42 performance in Madrid, Spain. Selemon's performance in Torun made him  the 8th fastest performer of all time in the 3000m Indoor. Selemon's first outdoor track 5000m race of the year came in Bergamo, Italy on 12 May, where he clocked 13:02.47, he was beaten by Kenya's Mark Owon Lomuket. Selemon next raced at the Ethiopian Trials in Hengelo, Netherlands, where he won the 10000m in a time of 26:49.51 holding off Yomif Kejelcha who was second, Berihu Aregawi placed 3rd. The race was tactical with Selemon putting in surges and then slowing down before it came down to a last lap sprint finish. On 30  July 2021, at the age of 21, Selemon won the 10,000 m at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, outsprinting world record holder Joshua Cheptegei and World Half Marathon champion Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda to win in 27:43.22. Brutal humidity meant that the winning time of 27:43.22 was the slowest in an Olympic final since 1992, but Barega's close was sublime as he ripped the last kilometer in 2:24.9 and last lap in 53.94. This win made him the fourth Ethiopian to win the 10,000m title at the Olympics, the other three being Kenenisa Bekele (2004,2008), Haile Gebrselassie (1996,2000), and  Miruts Yifter (1980).