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Ethiopia’s Olympic squad glitters with gold-medal winners

Posted on , Updated on by Elias Kifle

(BEIJING 2008) — The Ethiopian Olympic Committee (EOC) has a squad of 36 athletes bound for the Beijing Olympic Games, and the group glitters with gold medalists.

Kenenisa Bekele, 10,000-meter gold medalist at the Athens 2004 Olympiad, will be joined by countrymen Sileshi Sihine and Haile Gebrselassie in the same event at the this summer’s Olympics in the Chinese capital.

Haile Gebrselassie won gold medals in the 10,000-meter race at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. Sileshi Sihine was the 10,000-meter silver medallist at the Athens 2004 Games. Ethiopia’s elite 10,000-meter race team hopes to capture all three podium places in Beijing.

On the women’s side, two-time world 10,000-meter champion Tirunesh Dibaba, who won the bronze medal in the women’s 5000-meter race at the Athens 2004 Games, might attempt an unprecedented double gold in the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter competitions in Beijing, according to the International Association of Athletics Federations. She will be challenged by compatriot Meseret Defar, a 5,000-meter gold medalist in Athens in the 5000-meter event.

All 36 athletes on the Ethiopian Olympic team will compete in mid-distance and long-distance running events at the Beijing Games.

9 thoughts on “Ethiopia’s Olympic squad glitters with gold-medal winners”

  1. I predict our athletes will win 12 medals. Plus or minus 2. I also predict that they will win all three medals in one of the competitions. I will even go out on a limb and predict that it will be the girls who will achive that.
    Good luck beloved ones!!!

  2. O GOD please help them to do their best in the country were Tef is 1200 ber,berbere is about to be forgotten.my Ethiopian brothers and sisters.Their only way of survival is by the folowing,the woyanne mala adminsteration brought upon them 1.By runing 2.Leaving their beloved country 3.Be a part of tplf thugs 4.Total submision to the under world empire Alamudine and etc.God is it not enough 17 years of suffering of your childern.To day if the Olympic is held for Hunger Tplf thugs have prepared Ethiopia for the GOLD.

  3. # 1 -I thought the issue is about Ethiopian Olympic heros ? Please don’t turn everything into politics.These elite squad is not running under the name of TPLF.

  5. Despte all those problems it is our tradition to get Gold medals back home.We could have mad a miracle if we had a wise and educated leaders.Any way best wishes for our atlethes.

  6. i worry how they will do in the pollution and heat, i hope it goes okay, i think tirunesh will win the 10k and meseret defar will win the 5k, kenenisa might win both the 5 and 10k. i think the ethiopian federation should have put bezunesh bekele (my favorite runner) in the marathon as studies show the smaller the runner the better they can usually run good in the heat. also mimi belete should be allowed to run the 1500 as she has the standad to run and ethiopia has 3 with the qualifying standard in the 1500, gelete burka, meskerem assefa and mimi belete even if they dont think belete can medal this time she should go as each country is allowed 3 per event if they have the standard, and it is good for development.

  7. i pick tirunesh dibaba in the 10k, meseret defar in the 5k, zenebesh tola (now running for bahrain) to win over gelete burka. i think the ethiopian federation should have put bezunesh bekele (my favorite runner) in the marathon as studies show the small runners usually do better in the heat. i pick keninisa bekele to win both the 5 and 10k. the worry is the pollution and heat, things can go bad like in mombassa kenya at the world cross country championships. also mimi belete should run the 1500 as she has the standard and each country can take up to 3 athletes per event if they have the standard so why leave her at home, she would not be taking anyones spot as ethiopia has only 3 runners who have the standard. even if she cant medal this time it is good for devlopment.

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