Meseret Defar
Biographical information
| Roles | Competed in Olympic Games |
|---|---|
| Sex | Female |
| Full name | Meseret•Defar Tola |
| Used name | Meseret•Defar |
| Original name | መሰረት•ደፋር |
| Born | 19 November 1983 in Addis Ababa, Addis Ababa (ETH) |
| Measurements | 159 cm / 42 kg |
| Affiliations | Banks SC, Addis Ababa (ETH) / Mizuno Track Club, Osaka (JPN) |
| NOC |  Ethiopia |
| Medals | OG |
| Gold | 2 |
| Silver | 1 |
| Bronze | 0 |
| Total | 3 |
Biography
Meseret Defar was an Ethiopian distance runner who won gold medals in the 5,000 metres in 2004 and 2012, taking silver in the event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Defar also won the World Championships in the 5K in 2007 and 2014 and was a four-time World Champion in the indoor 3,000 metres – 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. In 2009 and 2011 she added bronze medals in the 5K at the World Championships.
Defar set two world records in the 5,000, her best event, first running 14:24.53 in June 2006 at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York, and then recording 14:16.63 at the Bislett Games in Oslo in June 2007. In an event not recognized by World Athletics for record purposes, Defar also became the first woman to run 2-miles under 9 minutes, when she ran 8:58.58 on 14 September 2007 at the Van Damme Memorial in Bruxelles. She also set an indoor world best of 8:23.72 for 3,000 metres in Stuttgart on 3 February 2007.
Personal Best: 5000 – 14:12.88 (2008).
Results
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | NOC / Team | Pos | Medal | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Summer Olympics | Athletics | ETH |
Meseret Defar | |||
| 5,000 metres, Women (Olympic) | 1 | Gold | ||||
| 2008 Summer Olympics | Athletics | ETH |
Meseret Defar | |||
| 5,000 metres, Women (Olympic) | 2 | Silver | ||||
| 2012 Summer Olympics | Athletics | ETH |
Meseret Defar | |||
| 5,000 metres, Women (Olympic) | 1 | Gold |
Special Notes
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the World Athletics Championships (2–1–2 2005 Helsinki silver: 5000 m; 2007 Osaka gold: 5000 m; 2009 Berlin bronze: 5000 m; 2011 Daegu bronze: 5000 m; 2013 Moskva gold: 5000 m)
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships (4–2–1 2003 Birmingham bronze: 3000 m; 2004 Budapest gold: 3000 m; 2006 Moskva gold: 3000 m; 2008 Valencia gold: 3000 m; 2010 Doha gold: 3000 m; 2012 İstanbul silver: 3000 m; 2016 Portland silver: 3000 m)