Kenenisa Bekele is an Ethiopian long-distance runner widely considered one of the greatest distance runners of all time. He held world records in both the 5,000 m and 10,000 m from 2004 until 2020 and won gold in both events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, along with the 10,000 m gold at the 2004 Athens Games.
Bekele is the most successful athlete in the history of the World Cross Country Championships, winning six long-course and five short-course titles. He claimed four consecutive World Championship gold medals in the 10,000 m from 2003 to 2009 and was unbeaten over the distance from his debut in 2003 until 2011. At the 2009 World Championships, he became the first man to win both the 5,000 m and 10,000 m titles at the same edition. He also won an Olympic silver and World Championship bronze over 5,000 m, two African Championship titles, and the 3,000 m gold at the 2006 World Indoor Championships.
Bekele successfully transitioned to the marathon, winning the 2014 Paris Marathon on debut in a course record of 2:05:04. He won the Berlin Marathon in 2016 in 2:03:03 and again in 2019 in 2:01:41, finishing just two seconds off the world record at the time.
As of Sep 12, 2026: 5000 Metres Short Track 12:49.60, 10 000 m 26:17.53 (#2 all-time), 2024 season best 1:03:59 (Mar 17, 2024, New York, NY (USA)) · Last competition: TCS New York City Marathon, Nov 2, 2025, DNF · Olympic Games: 3 gold, 1 silver · World Championships: 5 gold, 1 bronze · Area record (5000 Metres Short Track) · 44 years old
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