Bashir Abdi

Abdi at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene
Personal information
Citizenship	Belgian
Born	(1989-02-10) 10 February 1989 (age 35)[1][2] El Afweyn, Somalia[3]
Sport
Country	Belgium
Sport	Athletics
Event	Long-distance running
Club	NN Running Team[2]
Coached by	Gary Lough[2]
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	Half marathon: 59:51 NR (Ghent 2023) Marathon: 2:03:36 AR (Rotterdam 2021)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Belgium Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo Marathon World Championships 2022 Eugene Marathon European Championships 2018 Berlin 10,000 m World Marathon Majors 2020 Tokyo Marathon 2022 London Marathon 2023 Chicago Marathon

Bashir Abdi (born 10 February 1989)^[4] is a Somali-born Belgian long-distance runner. He won bronze medals in the marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2022 World Championships. In doing so, Abdi became both the first ever Belgian world championship medal winner at the marathon^[5] and the first Belgian male athlete to win an individual medal at both the Olympic Games and World Athletics Championships. He claimed silver in the 10,000 metres at the 2018 European Championships. He finished second and third at the 2020 Tokyo Marathon and 2022 London Marathon respectively. Abdi is the European record holder for the marathon.

He also holds the Belgian records in the half marathon and one hour run, and the world best in the rarely contested 20,000 metres on track.

Personal life

Bashir Abdi was born in El Afweyn, Somaliland, a town mainly inhabited by the Habr Je'lo clan of the Isaaq clan-family.^[3][6] When he was eight, his family moved to Djibouti. He then spent a year and a half in Ethiopia, before settling in Belgium. There, aged 16, he started training at the Racing Club Gent Athletics, following his brother Ibrahim.^[2]

Abdi is married and has a daughter, Kadra, born 2018, and a son Ibrahim; born 2020. He is a co-founder and vice-chairman of the non-profit organization Sportaround, which organizes after-school sports activities for children in Ghent.^[2]

Running career

2014–2017

Abdi entered the 10,000 metres at the 2014 European Athletics Championships with the European-leading time set on 4 May.^[7][8] He finished fifth at the event.^[4]

In May 2015, he qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics.^[9]

At the Games, Abdi competed in both the men's 5000 m and 10,000 m. He finished 20th in the 10,000 m final, the race won by Great Britain's Mo Farah.

In 2017, he competed in the London 2017 World Championships in Athletics in the men's 5000 m, placing sixth in his heat.

2018–2019: Beginning of marathon career

In 2018, Abdi made his marathon debut at the Rotterdam Marathon, placing seventh with a time of 2:10:46. The race was won by Kenya's Kenneth Kipkemoi in 2:05:44.^[10] In August that year, he won silver in the 10,000 m at the 2018 European Athletics Championships.^[11] In the autumn Abdi raced several road races placing third at the Great North Run half marathon in a time of 1:00:42, fourth at the Dam tot Damloop 10 miler in 46:08, fifth at the Nijmegen Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km in 43:40 and third at the 's-Heerenberg Montferland Run 15 km in 43:40.^[1]

In 2019, he was second at the Big Half Marathon in London with a time of 1:01:16 in a close finish with race winner Mo Farah and third placer Daniel Wanjiru. Abdi then competed in the London Marathon, placing seventh in a time of 2:07:03 in a race won by Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge in 2:02:37.^[12] In August, he was second in the Beach to Beacon 10 km in the United States, finishing in 28:35. The race was initially won by Kenya's Alex Korio, however he was disqualified. Jairus Birech came in second.^[13] Abdi headed back to Newcastle upon Tyne where he again raced the Great North Run half marathon, finishing fifth in a time of 1:01:11, the race was won by Farah. In October, Abdi ran in the Chicago Marathon, placing fifth with a time of 2:06:14, the race was won by Kenya's Lawrence Cherono in 2:05:45 in a sprint finish.^[14] Abdi next raced at the Montferland Run 15 km, finishing fifth in a time of 42:29. On New Year's Eve in Spain he won the San Silvestre Vallecana 10k m in Madrid with a time of 27:47.

2020–present: Marathon breakthrough

Abdi opened his 2020 racing campaign by winning the Egmond Half Marathon. He then achieved his first marathon podium position by placing second in the Tokyo Marathon in a new personal best time of 2:04:49. He passed Ethiopia's Sisay Lemma in the closing stages to finish behind the race winner Ethiopia's Birhanu Legese, who ran a time of 2:04:15.^[15] Abdi returned to the track in September competing at the Memorial Van Damme in the one hour race. He ran the majority of the race with Farah, taking the lead and setting a European record at 20,000 m of 56:20.02. He finished second behind Farah setting a mark of 21,322 metres.^[1]

In 2021, Abdi was second behind Farah at the Djibouti International Half Marathon with a time of 1:03:11. He then placed second at the European 10,000 m Cup in Birmingham in a new personal best of 27:24.41. This performance qualified him for the 10,000 m event at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He focused on the marathon at the Games, however, winning the bronze medal.^[2] In October, Abdi won the rescheduled Rotterdam Marathon, setting a European record with a time of 2:03:36.^[16]

In April 2022, he placed fourth at the Rotterdam Marathon.^[16] In July that year, Abdi won his second consecutive global bronze in the marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships held in Eugene, Oregon, clocking 2:06:48.^[4] He earned his second medal at a World Marathon Major by finishing third at the London Marathon in October with a time of 2:05:19.^[17]

In April 2023, Abdi regained his Rotterdam Marathon title in a time of 2:03:47, clocking a significant negative second half split of 61:32, setting the second fastest European time in history as he missed his own continental record by just 11 seconds.^[18]

Statistics

Competition record

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time
Representing  Belgium
2010	European Cross Country Championships	Albufeira, Portugal	41st	U23 race	25:25
2011	European U23 Championships	Ostrava, Czech Republic	15th	5000 m	14:30.52
2012	European Championships	Helsinki, Finland	8th	5000 m	13:39.01
			4th	10,000 m	28:23.72
	European Cross Country Championships	Szentendre, Hungary	9th	Senior race	30:26
2013	European Team Championships First League	Dublin, Ireland	1st	5000 m	14:52.78
	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	23rd	10,000 m	28:41.69
	European Cross Country Championships	Belgrade, Serbia	8th	Senior race	29:53
2014	European Championships	Zürich, Switzerland	5th	10,000 m	28:13.61
			16th	5000 m	14:24.73
2015	European Team Championships First League	Heraklion, Greece	1st	5000 m	15:17.47
	World Championships	Beijing, China	– (f)	10,000 m	DNF
			– (h)	5000 m	DNS
2016	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	20th	10,000 m	28:01.49
			33rd (h)	5000 m	13:42.83
2017	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	19th (h)	5000 m	13:30.71
2018	European Championships	Berlin, Germany	2nd	10,000 m	28:11.76
2021	European 10,000m Cup	Birmingham, United Kingdom	2nd	10,000 m	27:24.41
	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	3rd	Marathon	2:10:00 SB
2022	World Championships	Eugene, OR, United States	3rd	Marathon	2:06:48
World Marathon Majors
2019	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	7th	Marathon	2:07:03
2020	Tokyo Marathon	Tokyo, Japan	2nd	Marathon	2:04:49
2022	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	3rd	Marathon	2:05:19

Personal bests