After running over 26 miles the 2001 World Championships marathon was won in the final strides
by the reigning Olympic Champion Gezahagne Abera. He is pictured above just in front of
Kenya's Simon Biwott. He was the first man ever to win gold at both the Olympics
and World Championships.
He married to Elfenesh Alemu, a 2004 Olympian, two-time runner-up in the Boston Marathon
and winner of the 2003 Tokyo International Women’s Marathon.
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Men's Marathon.
Olympic Games 2000
|
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| 1. Gezahgne ABERA |
|
ETH |
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2: 10: 11 |
| 2. Eric Wainaina |
|
KEN |
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2: 10: 31 |
| 3. Tesfaye Tola |
|
ETH |
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2: 11: 10 |
| 4. Jon Brown |
|
GBR |
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2: 11: 17 |
| 5. Giacomo Leone |
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ITA |
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2: 12: 14 |
| 6. Martin Fiz |
|
SPA |
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2: 13: 06 |
| 7. Abdelkader El Mouaziz |
|
MOR |
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2: 13: 49 |
| 8. Mohamed Ouaadi |
|
FRA |
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2: 14: 04 |
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Men's Marathon.
World Athletics Championships 2001
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| . |
| 1. Gezahegne ABERA |
|
ETH |
|
2.12.42 |
| 2. Simon BIWOTT |
|
KEN |
|
2.12.43 |
| 3. Stefano BALDINI |
|
ITA |
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2.13.18 |
| 4. Tesfaye TOLA |
|
ETH |
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2.13.58 |
| 5. Shigeru ABURAYA |
|
JAP |
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2.14.07 |
| 6. Abdelkader EL MOUAZIZ |
|
MOR |
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2.15.41 |
| 7. Tesfaye JIFAR |
|
ETH |
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2.16.52 |
| 8. Yoshiteru MORISHITA |
|
JAP |
|
2.17.05 |
Annual progress.
2003 2:07:56 London 13 APRIL winner London marathon
2002 2:09:13 Fukuoka 1 DECEMBER winner
2001 2:09:25 Fukuoka 2 DECEMBER winner
2000 2:09:45 Fukuoka 3 DECEMBER winner
1999 2:07:54 Fukuoka 5 DECEMBER
At the 2003 World Championships, Gezahegne had to abandon the race due to injury,
but he was selected in the Ethiopian 2004 Olympic team.
Again injury kept him from the race.
Abera says that were it not for injury, he could have defended his Olympic title - as Bikila did in 1964.
“I had beaten Stefano Baldini (who won the Olympic gold medal in 2004) in London the year before,
so I think I could have won in Greece.
Gezahegne's repeated injuries ended his running career at a relatively young age.
He and his wife owned a hotel and property development business.