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Lamecha Girma

Lamecha Girma (born 26 November 2000)[2] is an Ethiopian athlete who specialises in the 3,000 metres steeplechase. He is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medallist in the event and won silver medals at the 2019, 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships. Lamecha also won a silver in the 3,000 metres at the 2022 World Indoor Championships. He is the world indoor record holder for the 3,000 metres, which was set in February 2023. In June 2023 at the Meeting de Paris of the Diamond League, he broke the world record for the men's 3,000 metres steeplechase.

Lamecha Girma
Personal information
Born (2000-11-26) 26 November 2000 (age 24)
Asella, Oromia, Ethiopia[1]
Sport
CountryEthiopia
SportAthletics
Event3000 m steeplechase
Coached byFikedu Girma (2021–)
Teshome Kebede (2018–2021)
Kefyalew Alemu (–2018)[1]
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Ethiopia
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo 3000 m st.
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2019 Doha 3000 m st.
Silver medal – second place 2022 Eugene 3000 m st.
Silver medal – second place 2023 Budapest 3000 m st.
World Indoor Championships
Silver medal – second place 2022 Belgrade 3000 m
African U20 Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Abidjan 3000 m st.

Career

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Early career

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At age 18, Lamecha Girma earned the junior bronze medal in the 3,000 m steeplechase at the 2019 African Under-20 Championships. The same year, he set an Ethiopian national record in his specialist event during the World Athletics Championships in Doha with a time of 8:01.36. He finished second behind Olympic and world champion from Kenya Conseslus Kipruto who ran 8:01.35; Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali came in third in 8:03.76.[3]

Breakthrough and Olympic silver medal

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At the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Lamecha won the silver medal with a 8:10.38 clocking. This time El Bakkali finished first in 8:08.90 while third-placed Benjamin Kigen achieved 8:11.45.[4]

Girma became 2022 World Indoor Championship silver medallist at the 3,000 metres in Belgrade. He ran 7:41.63 while his compatriot Selemon Barega clocked 7:41.38 for gold, and Marc Scott was third in 7:42.02.[5] A few months later in July, at the World Championships held in Eugene, Oregon, Girma had to settle for silver once again in his signature event, finishing behind El Bakkali who ran 8:25.13 and ahead of Kipruto in third in 8:27.92.[6]

World indoor and outdoor records

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On 15 February 2023, he smashed the 25-year-old world indoor 3,000 m record at the 2023 Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in Liévin with a time of 7:23.81, slicing 1.09 seconds off the previous mark held by Daniel Komen since 1998.[7][8]

On 9 June 2023, Girma broke the world 3,000 m steeplechase record at the Meeting de Paris of the Diamond League with a time of 7:52:11, which was 1.52 seconds faster than the 19-year-old previous world record of 7:53.63 set by Saif Saaeed Shaheen.[9] He was clearly in the lead with two laps to go before speeding up around the final lap, which he ran in about 64 seconds, to cross the finish line with the new fastest time. After the race, he expressed his happiness and stated that he had planned to beat the world record that night.[10]

Paris Olympics

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At the 2024 Paris Olympics, on 7 August, Girma was among the favorites to win gold in the 3000 m steeplechase final, along with Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali. However, in the bell lap, on the back straightaway jump, Girma suffered a fall that knocked him unconscious. Girma was carried off the track in a stretcher, and was hospitalized for treatment. His coach indicated shortly after the race that the injury was not life threatening, but that Girma would need some time to recover.[11]

Personal life and family

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Born in Bekoji to countryside farmers, Girma lives in Sululta with several of his family members.[12] He has seven brothers and two sisters. Two of his brothers, Diriba Girma and Kuma Girma, are professional runners – his oldest brother Fikadu Girma serves as their coach.[13] By virtue of his steeplechase performance, he was selected to join the Tirunesh Academy starting in 2017. Following the 2019 World Athletics Championships, Girma moved to Addis Ababa and had to learn Amharic for the first time, only having known Oromo language up to this point. He trains in a group of five, including himself and his two running brothers.[12]

Kuma Girma

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Kuma Girma (born 24 November 2005) is a middle- and long-distance runner who is Lamecha's youngest running brother. After placing 3rd at the Ethiopian U20 Championships 3000 m in 2022, he was a member of the silver-medal-winning Ethiopian team at the 2023 World Cross Country Championships U20 race, finishing 13th individually.[14] He followed that up by placing 3rd in Jakob Ingebrigtsen's two-mile world record race at the 2023 Meeting de Paris in a time of 8:10.34.[15] He set his 5000 m personal best of 13:03.37 at the 2023 Athletissima to finish 7th.[16]

Diriba Girma

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Diriba Girma (born 29 January 2003) has focused primarily on middle-distance running and is the middle sibling of the Girma family. After finishing 4th at the 2021 Ethiopian Athletics Championships and 11th at the national 1500 m Olympic trials, he did not qualify for the Ethiopian team at the 2021 Games.[17][18] Diriba ran his 3000 m personal best of 7:38.79 at the 2022 Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais. That time made him the top seed heading in to the 3000 m at the 2022 World U20 Championships, at which he finished 4th in the finals.[19][20]

Achievements

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Personal bests

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International competitions

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Representing   Ethiopia
Year Competition Venue Position Event Time
2019 African U20 Championships Abidjan, Ivory Coast 3rd 3000 m s'chase 8:48.56
World Championships Doha, Qatar 2nd 3000 m s'chase 8:01.36 NR
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 2nd 3000 m s'chase 8:10.38
2022 World Indoor Championships Belgrade, Serbia 2nd 3000 m i 7:41.63
World Championships Eugene, OR, United States 2nd 3000 m s'chase 8:26.01
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 2nd 3000 m s'chase 8:05.44
2024 Olympic Games Paris, France 18th (h) 3000 m s'chase 8:23.891

1Did not finish in the final

Circuit wins

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3000 metres steeplechase wins, other events specified in parentheses

References

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  1. ^ a b Mulkeen, Jon (2020-02-10). "Girma's one-year journey from unknown runner to global medallist". World Athletics. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  2. ^ "Lamecha Girma Athlete Profile". iaaf.org. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  3. ^ "3000 Metres Steeplechase men. IAAF World Athletics Championships, DOHA 2019". iaaf.org. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  4. ^ "Kenya's Reign is Over: Soufiane El Bakkali Wins Olympic Men's Steeplechase in Tokyo". LetsRun.com. 2021-08-02. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
  5. ^ "2022 Worlds Day 3 AM: Barega Wins 3000 Gold as Rojas Jumps 15.74 TJ WR". LetsRun.com. 2022-03-20. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  6. ^ Tennery, Amy (2022-07-19). "El Bakkali wins 3,000m steeplechase world gold". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  7. ^ Rowbottom, Mike (15 February 2023). "Girma breaks world indoor 3000m record with 7:23.81 in Lievin". World Athletics. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  8. ^ Henderson, Jason (15 February 2023). "Girma takes down Komen's world 3000m record in Liévin". AW. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  9. ^ "World records fall as Kipyegon and Girma star on astonishing night in Paris". The Guardian. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Kipyegon, Girma and Ingebrigtsen make history in Paris". World Athletics. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  11. ^ Meyers, Christaline (2024-08-07). "Paris Olympics: Distressful Update on Ethiopian Heartbreaking Fall in 3000m Steeplechase". EssentiallySports. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  12. ^ a b "Lamecha Girma Interview: Meet The Ethiopian Star Who Shattered The Steeplechase World Record". CITIUS MAG. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  13. ^ athle.ch. "Girma Family".
  14. ^ Nichols, Lee. "World Junior XC — Bronze Medals For Both U.S. Teams". Track & Field News. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  15. ^ Norma, Julio y (2023-06-10). "Girma prendió 'Lamecha' para el récord mundial de los 3.000 obstáculos". Running Colombia (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  16. ^ Hollobaugh, Jeff. "Lausanne DL — Aregawi Takes Intense 5000". Track & Field News. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  17. ^ "Ethiopian Championships | Results | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  18. ^ Lamecha Girma at Tilastopaja (registration required)
  19. ^ "Talent display as U20 event starts in Cali". www.pd.co.ke. 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  20. ^ "Jamaican women smash world junior 4x100m record". AW. 2022-08-06. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
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