caption updated event weight height image_size nationality pb sport birth_date image article_title
zersenay at the 2009 world championships 22 july 2012 10,000 metres 54 kg lb on 1.60 200px eritrean '' ' 2-mile '' ' : 8:19.34 '' ' 5000 metres ' '' ' : 12:59.27 '' ' 10,000 metres '' ' 3000 : 26:37.25 '' ` marathon '' ' : 2:10:41 metres '' ' : 7:39.93 '' athletics 8 february 1982 20090817 zersenay tadese.jpg zersenay tadese

zersenay tadese

zersenay tadese -lrb- tigrinya : ዘርኢሰናይ ታደሰ ; born 8 february 1982 -rrb- is an eritrean long-distance track , and road running athlete .
he currently holds the men 's half marathon world record .
his bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2004 athens olympics made him the first ever eritrean olympic medallist , and his 20 km title at the 2006 iaaf world road running championships also made him the country 's first athlete to win at a world championship event .
he does not use a sprint finish to win races : his strategy relies upon a combination of efficient running and fast pace setting .
zersenay -lrb- ` tadese ' is his father 's name -rrb- has found most of his success over the half marathon distance , with four consecutive victories in the world half marathon championships from 2006 to 2009 , a fifth title in 2012 , and a world record at the lisbon half marathon in 2010 .
he has also excelled in cross country running , winning a gold , one silver , and two bronze medals in the long distance race over five iaaf world cross country championships .
he is a three-time olympian -lrb- 2004 , 2008 and 2012 -rrb- .
in 2009 zersenay became only the second man -lrb- after paul tergat -rrb- to win three world championship medals over three different surfaces in the same year : winning world cross country bronze , 10,000 metres world championship silver on the track , and gold in road running at the world half marathon championships .
he is a popular public figure in his home country ; 2500 guests attended his wedding to merhawit solomon , which was broadcast live on eritrean television .
his brother , kidane tadese , is also a professional distance runner .
