Aselefech Mergia

ASELEFECH MERGIA
ETHIOPIA

BIRTHDATE:
23 January 1985

PERSONAL BEST:
2:22:38 (London, 2010)

WORLD MARATHON MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS:

27Aug11 IAAF World Championships, Daegu DNF
25Apr10 Virgin London Marathon 3rd 2:22:38
23Aug09 IAAF World Championships, Berlin 3rd 2:25:32

ADDITIONAL CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

21Jan11 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon 1st 2:22:45
05Apr09 Paris International Marathon 2nd 2:25:02

CAREER NOTES:

In the past two years, Ethiopia's Aselfech Mergia has put together an impressive string of performances at both the half-marathon and marathon.

At the IAAF Half-Marathon World Championships in October 2008 she claimed the silver medal in 1:09:57. She then lowered her PR to 1:08:17 at New Delhi a month later in a hotly contested race against Genet Getaneh where she prevailed by one second.

In January 2009, Mergia entered sub-68 minute territory with a 1:07:48 at Ras al Khaimah.

With those credentials, a fast marathon debut was expected and she delivered at Paris in April. Although 20 seconds behind the winner, Mergia passed the finish line in2:25:02, good for eighth place on the 2009 world list prior to the World Championships.

Mergia ran like a veteran at Berlin. She beat all of the more renowned African competitors and earned the silver medal in 2:25:32, just 22 seconds behind the gold medal time.

Ras al Khaimah was good to Mergia again in 2010 – another PR at 1:07:22.

She made it three for three marathon medal podiums at London in 2010. Although no match for the Russians that day, she came home third with a huge personal record of 2:22:38.