Meselech Melkamu

Medal record
Meselech Melkamu at the 2009 World Championships.
Competitor for  Ethiopia
Women's athletics
World Championships
Silver	2009 Berlin	10,000 m
World Indoor Championships
Silver	2008 Valencia	3000 m
World Cross Country Championships
Gold	2004 Bruxelles	Junior race
Bronze	2006 Fukuoka	Long race
Bronze	2006 Fukuoka	Short race
Bronze	2007 Mombasa	Senior race
Bronze	2009 Amman	Senior race
Bronze	2010 Bydgoszcz	Senior race
African Championships
Gold	2008 Addis Ababa	5000 m
Silver	2010 Nairobi	10,000 m

Meselech Melkamu (Amharic: መሰለች መልካሙ; born 19 April 1985 in Debre Marqos) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who specializes in the 5000 metres, 10,000 metres and cross-country events. She defeated Meseret Defar to win the 5000 m gold medal at the 2008 African Athletics Championships but she is better known for her 29:53.80 run over 10,000 m which ranks her second on the all time list, behind only world record holder Wang Junxia. She is the fourth woman (of five) in history to break the 30 minute barrier and one of three Ethiopian's to accomplish the feat.^[1][2]

She made her breakthrough in the junior ranks in 2004 by winning at the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and then taking the 5000 m title at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics. She just missed the senior medals in 2005, taking fourth in the short race at the 2005 World Cross Country Championships and also fourth in the 5000 m at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics. Her first major medals as a senior athlete came the following year as Melkamu won bronze medals in both the long and short races at the 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships (also winning two team golds). She went on to win the Great Ireland Run the following month.^[3]

She repeated her cross country bronze medal in 2007, helping the Ethiopian women the team gold again, and also won a silver medal on the track at the 2007 All-Africa Games, finishing as runner-up behind Meseret Defar in the 5000 m. She was sixth over that distance at the 2007 World Championships later that year. Melkamu won her first indoor medal over 3000 metres the following March, again taking the second spot behind Defar at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships. She did not win a medal at the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships (finishing in ninth place), but she excelled at the 2008 African Championships in Athletics by beating Defar to win the 5000 m African title. She was selected to represent Ethiopia at the 2008 Summer Olympics and finished in eighth place in the event final.^[3]

She returned to the podium at the 2009 World Cross Country Championships, taking another bronze medal, and broke the African record in the 10,000 m with a time of 29:53.80 to win a the FBK Games, overturning Tirunesh Dibaba's mark. She won her first world track medal later that season, finishing as runner-up behind Linet Masai to take the 10,000 m silver at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. She continued her bronze medal streak at the 2010 World Cross Country Championships and won her second medal of the African Championships with a 10,000 m silver in Nairobi.^[3] She won at the Obudu Ranch Mountain Race in 2010, which also brought her the women's title of the African Mountain Running Championships.^[4]

She won a third consecutive title at the Jan Meda Cross Country in February 2011.^[5]

Personal bests

• 1500 metres – 4:07.52 (2007)
• Mile run – 4:33.94 (2003)
• 3000 metres – outdoor - 8:34.73 (2005), indoor - 8:23.74 (2007)
• 5000 metres – 14:31.91 min (2010)
• 10,000 metres – 29:53.80 (2009)

Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
2004	World Junior Championships	Grosseto, Italy	1st	5000 m
2005	World Cross Country Championships	St-Étienne-St-Galmier, France	6th	Short race
			1st	Team
			4th	Long race
			1st	Team
	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	4th	5000 m
	World Athletics Final	Monte Carlo, Monaco	5th	3000 m
2006	World Cross Country Championships	Fukuoka, Japan	3rd	Short race
			1st	Team
			3rd	Long race
			1st	Team
	African Championships	Bambous, Mauritius	6th	5000 m
	World Athletics Final	Stuttgart, Germany	6th	5000 m
2007	World Cross Country Championships	Mombasa, Kenya	3rd	Senior race
			1st	Team
	All-Africa Games	Algiers, Algeria	2nd	5000 m
	World Championships	Osaka, Japan	6th	5000 m
	World Athletics Final	Stuttgart, Germany	5th	5000 m
2008	World Indoor Championships	Valencia, Spain	2nd	3000 m
	World Cross Country Championships	Edinburgh, Great Britain	9th	Senior race
			1st	Team
	African Championships	Addis Ababa, Ethiopia	1st	5000 m
	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	8th	5000 m
	World Athletics Final	Stuttgart, Germany	3rd	5000 m
2009	World Championships	Berlin, Germany	2nd	10,000 m
2010	World Cross Country Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	3rd	Senior race
			2nd	Senior team
	African Championships	Nairobi, Kenya	2nd	10,000 m

References

1. ^ Women's 10,000 all-time list
2. ^ "Melkamu stuns with 29:53.80 run in Utrecht". IAAF. 15 June 2009. http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=51129.html. Retrieved 16 June 2009. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} Johannes, Sabrina (2010-07-31). Focus on Athletes – Meselech Melkamu. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-11-29.
4. ^ Dinkesa and Melkamu take African Mountain Running titles. IAAF (2010-11-28). Retrieved on 2010-11-29.
5. ^ Negash, Elshadai (2011-02-21). Melkamu, Mesfin dominate Ethiopian trials for Punta Umbria. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-02-21.

External links

• IAAF profile for Meselech Melkamu
• Focus on athletes – In-depth article

Persondata
Name	Melkamu, Meselech
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	19 April 1985
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death