Zersenay Tadese

Zersenay Tadese

Zersenay at the 2009 World Championships
Personal information
Nationality	Eritrean
Born	(1982-02-08) 8 February 1982 (age 42) Adi Bana, Ethiopia [1][2]
Height	1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)[2]
Weight	54.431 kg (120 lb) (2023)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	10,000 metres, half marathon
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	3000 m: 7:39.93[3] 2-mile: 8:19.34[3] 5000 m: 12:59.27[3] 10,000 m: 26:37.25[3] Half marathon: 58:23[3] Marathon: 2:08:46[3]
Medal record Representing  Eritrea Olympic Games 2004 Athens 10,000 m World Championships 2009 Berlin 10,000 m World Cross Country Championships 2007 Mombasa Senior race 2006 Fukuoka Long team 2005 Saint-Etienne Long race 2009 Amman Senior race 2009 Amman Senior team 2008 Edinburgh Senior race 2004 Brussels Long team World Half Marathon Championships 2012 Kavarna Individual 2009 Birmingham Individual 2008 Rio de Janeiro Individual 2007 Udine Individual 2006 Debrecen (20km) Individual 2010 Nanning Individual All-Africa Games 2007 Algiers 10,000 m 2015 Brazzaville Half Marathon

Zersenay Tadese Habtesilase^[nb][4] (Tigrinya: ዘርእሰናይ ታደሰ; born 8 February 1982) is a retired Eritrean long-distance track and road running athlete. He held the men's half marathon world record from 2010 to 2018. 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.^[5][6] He does not use a sprint finish to win races; his strategy relies on a combination of efficient running and fast pace setting.

Zersenay ("Tadese" is his father's name) has found most of his success in the half marathon, with four consecutive victories in the World Half Marathon Championships from 2006 to 2009 (with a 2006 20 km edition), a silver medal in 2010 and a fifth title in 2012. His 5 titles are a record. He set a world record at the Lisbon Half Marathon in 2010.

He has also excelled in cross country running, winning a gold, a silver, and two bronze medals in the long-distance race over five IAAF World Cross Country Championships. He is a four-time Olympian (2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016).

In 2009, Zersenay became only the second man (after Paul Tergat) 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.

In 2016, he was chosen to be part of Nike's Breaking2 team to try to break 2 hours for the marathon and finished in 2:06:51.^[7]