Ethiopia Secures Second Place at World Junior Athletics Championships Behind the United States
The World Under-20 Athletics Championships, held in Lima, Peru, concluded yesterday, with Ethiopia delivering an impressive performance, finishing second overall, just behind the United States.
Ethiopia’s under-20 national athletics team brought home a total of 10 medals: 6 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze.
This remarkable achievement placed Ethiopia second globally and first among African nations in the competition.
The United States, which topped the medal table, secured 16 medals, including 8 gold, 4 silver, and 4 bronze.
Ethiopian Gold Medalists:
- Medina Eisa: Gold in the 5000 meters.
- Simbo Alemayehu: Gold in the 3000-meter steeplechase.
- General Birhanu: Gold in the 800 meters.
- Aleshign Baweke: Gold in the 3000 meters (women’s race).
- Saron Berha: Gold in the 1500 meters.
- Abdisa Fayisa: Gold in the 1500 meters.
Ethiopian Silver and Bronze Medalists:
- Mekdes Alemshet: Silver in the 5000 meters.
- Abdisa Fayisa: Silver in the 5000 meters.
- Marta Alemayehu: Bronze in the women’s 3000-meter steeplechase.
- Hailu Ayalew: Bronze in the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase.
According to the Ethiopian Athletics Federation, Ethiopia was represented by a contingent of 19 athletes—11 women and 8 men—competing in various events, including the 800 meters, 1500 meters, 3000 meters, 5000 meters, and 3000-meter steeplechase for both genders, as well as the 10,000 meters for women.
The championships saw participation from 134 countries, with 34 nations making it onto the medal table.
In other sports news, Ethiopia celebrated a historic victory at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.
Athlete Tigist Gezahegn secured Ethiopia’s first gold medal in the 1500-meter hurdles, marking the country’s first Paralympic gold medal of the event.
Tigist’s triumph in Paris follows her previous success at the Tokyo Paralympic Games four years ago, where she won Ethiopia’s first-ever Paralympic gold medal in the same event.
This victory solidifies Tigist’s place in Ethiopian sports history as a trailblazer in Paralympic athletics.
At the 33rd Paris Olympics 2024, Ethiopia secured one gold and three silver medals, finishing with a total of four medals, ranking 47th globally and 4th in Africa.
