Abera Kuma
Encyclopedia
Abera Kuma Lema is an Ethiopia
n long distance runner who competes in track, cross country
and road running
events. An African junior champion over 5000 metres
, he won his first senior international medal (a team bronze) at the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
.
He was disqualified at the 2011 event for fighting with Eritrea's Samuel Tsegay
. Later that year he won the 5000 m national title and was fifth at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
. His personal best in the event is 13:00.15 minutes.
, he made his international debut at the 2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics
, coming fifth in the 3000 metres
. He came fourth in the 5000 metres
at the 2009 senior national championships and won the gold medal
at the 2009 African Junior Athletics Championships
. He ran a personal best for the distance at the Memorial van Damme
in Brussels that September, clocking a time of 13:29.40 minutes. He came second at Great Ethiopian Run
10K in Addis Ababa
, finishing behind Tilahun Regassa, and was also the runner-up at the Lotto Cross Cup Brussels
that year.
He gained selection for the Ethiopian national team with a third place finish at the 2010 Ethiopian Cross Country Trials. At the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
the 19-year-old Abera was his country's second best performing athlete, coming in sixteenth place and sharing in the team bronze medal
. He made his debut on the Diamond League track circuit a few months later and improved his 5000 m best to 13:07.83 minutes at the Golden Gala
meet. He competed on the Dutch road running
circuit towards the end of the year, coming second at the Jever Fun Lauf 10-miler in Schortens
, winning the Tilburg 10K and placing second to a world record-breaking Leonard Komon
at the Zevenheuvelenloop
15K race.
The following year he was in the top five of the Cross Internacional de Itálica
and the Jan Meda Cross Country, thus gaining selection for the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
. His performance at the competition attracted much attention as he and Eritrea's Samuel Tsegay
engaged in a fight on the final stretch, reflecting the history of antipathy between the nations. Tsegay, who accused the Ethiopian of deliberately elbowing him and standing on his heels from behind, took hold of Abera's leg and threw a punch before dashing to the finish. The IAAF disqualified both athletes for their conduct. The video of the fight was widely seen on the internet, attracting hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube
. Returning to the track, he won his first national title in the 5000 m and his finishing time of 13:40.0 min was the third fastest ever recorded at the Addis Ababa Stadium. He ran a personal best (13:00.15 min) at the Golden Gala for a second year running, then set 10,000 metres best of 27:22.54 min at the Prefontaine Classic
. As the national champion, he was chosen to compete at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
. He led the pace for much of the 5000 m final
, but fell behind on the last lap to finish in sixth place (upgraded to fifth after Imane Merga
was disqualified.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n long distance runner who competes in track, cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
and road running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
events. An African junior champion over 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
, he won his first senior international medal (a team bronze) at the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held at Myślęcinek Park in Bydgoszcz, Poland on 28 March 2010. It was the first time in over twenty years that Poland hosted the annual championships, having previously held them in Warsaw in 1987. Kenyan runners dominated the competition, taking...
.
He was disqualified at the 2011 event for fighting with Eritrea's Samuel Tsegay
Samuel Tsegay
Samuel Tsegay is an Eritrean long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres. He was born in Kudofelasi. As a junior he competed in the junior races at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, finishing seventeenth in 2005, eighth in 2006 and eighth in 2007...
. Later that year he won the 5000 m national title and was fifth at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
2011 World Championships in Athletics
The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011....
. His personal best in the event is 13:00.15 minutes.
Career
Born in Ambo, EthiopiaAmbo, Ethiopia
Ambo is a spa town in central Ethiopia. Located in the Mirab Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region, west of Addis Ababa, this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 2101 meters...
, he made his international debut at the 2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics
2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics
The 2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics were the fifth edition of the IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics. They were held on 11–15 July 2007 in Ostrava, Czech Republic.- Boys :- Girls :- Medals table :- External links :* *...
, coming fifth in the 3000 metres
3000 metres
The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...
. He came fourth in the 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
at the 2009 senior national championships and won the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
at the 2009 African Junior Athletics Championships
2009 African Junior Athletics Championships
The 2009 African Junior Athletics Championships were held in Bambous, Mauritius from 30 July to 2 August. There were 41 events in total, of which 21 were contested by male athletes and 20 by female athletes. Multiple gold medallists Caster Semenya and Amaka Ogoegbunam broke championships records,...
. He ran a personal best for the distance at the Memorial van Damme
Memorial Van Damme
Memorial van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium that takes place in late August or early September...
in Brussels that September, clocking a time of 13:29.40 minutes. He came second at Great Ethiopian Run
Great Ethiopian Run
The Great Ethiopian Run is an annual 10-kilometre road running event which takes place in late November in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.The competition was first envisioned by neighbors Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie, Peter Middlebrook and Abi Masefield in late October 2000, following Haile's return...
10K in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, finishing behind Tilahun Regassa, and was also the runner-up at the Lotto Cross Cup Brussels
Lotto Cross Cup Brussels
The Lotto Cross Cup Brussels, also known as the IRIS Lotto Cross Cup, is an annual cross country running competition that takes place in mid-December in Brussels, Belgium...
that year.
He gained selection for the Ethiopian national team with a third place finish at the 2010 Ethiopian Cross Country Trials. At the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held at Myślęcinek Park in Bydgoszcz, Poland on 28 March 2010. It was the first time in over twenty years that Poland hosted the annual championships, having previously held them in Warsaw in 1987. Kenyan runners dominated the competition, taking...
the 19-year-old Abera was his country's second best performing athlete, coming in sixteenth place and sharing in the team bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
. He made his debut on the Diamond League track circuit a few months later and improved his 5000 m best to 13:07.83 minutes at the Golden Gala
Golden Gala
Golden Gala is an annual track and field event at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League.-History:...
meet. He competed on the Dutch road running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
circuit towards the end of the year, coming second at the Jever Fun Lauf 10-miler in Schortens
Schortens
Schortens is a town in the district of Friesland in Lower Saxony, Germany.-Division of the town:The town consists of the following parts: Schortens, Heidmühle, Grafschaft, Accum, Sillenstede, Schoost, Roffhausen, Middelsfähr, Addernhausen, Oestringfelde, Ostiem and Upjever.-History:The first traces...
, winning the Tilburg 10K and placing second to a world record-breaking Leonard Komon
Leonard Komon
Leonard Patrick Komon is a Kenyan long-distance runner and the current world record holder in the 10 kilometres and 15 km road races....
at the Zevenheuvelenloop
Zevenheuvelenloop
Zevenheuvelenloop is an annual 15 kilometres road running race held in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. It was first organised in 1984 and has grown to be one of the largest road races in the Netherlands; it attracted over 30,000 runners in 2008...
15K race.
The following year he was in the top five of the Cross Internacional de Itálica
Cross Internacional de Itálica
The Cross Internacional de Itálica is an annual cross country running competition that is held every January in Santiponce, near Seville, Spain. Inaugurated in 1982, the race course is set in the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Itálica...
and the Jan Meda Cross Country, thus gaining selection for the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in Punta Umbría, Spain on 20 March 2011.-Preparation:The United States had expressed an interest in hosting the competition, but Punta Umbria was chosen as the host at the IAAF Council Meeting in November 2009...
. His performance at the competition attracted much attention as he and Eritrea's Samuel Tsegay
Samuel Tsegay
Samuel Tsegay is an Eritrean long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres. He was born in Kudofelasi. As a junior he competed in the junior races at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, finishing seventeenth in 2005, eighth in 2006 and eighth in 2007...
engaged in a fight on the final stretch, reflecting the history of antipathy between the nations. Tsegay, who accused the Ethiopian of deliberately elbowing him and standing on his heels from behind, took hold of Abera's leg and threw a punch before dashing to the finish. The IAAF disqualified both athletes for their conduct. The video of the fight was widely seen on the internet, attracting hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Returning to the track, he won his first national title in the 5000 m and his finishing time of 13:40.0 min was the third fastest ever recorded at the Addis Ababa Stadium. He ran a personal best (13:00.15 min) at the Golden Gala for a second year running, then set 10,000 metres best of 27:22.54 min at the Prefontaine Classic
Prefontaine Classic
The Prefontaine Classic is one of the premier track and field meets in the United States. Every year it draws a world caliber field to compete at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.-History:...
. As the national champion, he was chosen to compete at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
2011 World Championships in Athletics
The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011....
. He led the pace for much of the 5000 m final
2011 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 5000 metres
The men's 5000 metres at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Daegu Stadium on September 1 and 4.Jake Robertson of New Zealand was added to the final field at the judges' discretion after twice being pushed in his qualifying race....
, but fell behind on the last lap to finish in sixth place (upgraded to fifth after Imane Merga
Imane Merga
Imane Merga Jida is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 and 10,000 metres. He won his first world title at the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships...
was disqualified.