Ethiopian athlete
Berihu Aregawi (born 28 February 2001)[1] is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He placed fourth in the 10,000 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Aregawi won the silver medal for the men's race at the 2023 World Cross Country Championships. He is the world record holder for the 5 kilometres road race, set on 31 December 2021 in Barcelona.
At age 17, Aregawi earned bronze in the 10,000 m at the 2018 World Under-20 Championships. He also holds the Ethiopian record in the 10 kilometres. On December 31, 2023, he was proclaimed the winner of the “San Silvestre Vallecana” (Madrid).
Career
Berihu Aregawi was the bronze medalist in the 10,000 metres at the 2018 World U20 Championships in Tampere behind Rhonex Kipruto and Jacob Kiplimo.[2] He won the 3000 metres race at the African Youth Games that year. He then went to Argentina for the Summer Youth Olympics held in Buenos Aires and placed second in the combined 3000 m event.[1]
In November 2019, Aregawi won the Great Ethiopian Run (10 kilometres road race).[1]
On 8 June 2021, he finished third in the Ethiopian trial behind Selemon Barega and Yomif Kejelcha in the 10,000 m to effectively seal his place at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.[3] Aregawi finished fourth on his Olympic debut in the 10,000 metres race behind Barega who won gold.[4]
On 31 December 2021, Aregawi set a world record in the 5 km run at the Cursa dels Nassos 5K in Barcelona in a time of 12 minutes 49 seconds, improving previous mark of Joshua Cheptegei by 2 seconds. He had 38 second margin of victory.[5]
At the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, he was eliminated in the heats of the 3000 m event.[1] Aregawi finished seventh in the 10,000 m race at the outdoor World Championships held in Eugene, Oregon that year.[1]
In February 2023, he won the silver medal on a 10 km course at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia with a time of 29:26. The winner was Jacob Kiplimo in 29:17. On 11 March, Aregawi narrowly missed by nine seconds Rhonex Kipruto's 10 km world record in Laredo, Spain, clocking an Ethiopian record and the second-fastest time in history of 26:33.[6]
In March 2023, he ran 26:33 at the 10km race in Laredo, Spain, the second fastest 10k of all time.[7][8]
He ran the fifth-fastest track 5000m time in history when running 12:40.45 to win the Diamond League event in Lausanne in June 2023.[9]
In the 10,000m race at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, he placed fourth.[10]
