Ayelech Worku (born June 12, 1979) is an Ethiopia

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

Long-distance track event

Long-distance track event races require runners to balance their energy. These types of races are predominantly aerobic in nature and at the highest level, exceptional levels of aerobic endurance is required more than anything else...

, most known for winning two World Championships 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...

s on 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...

. She was born in the Arsi Zone

Arsi Zone

Arsi is one of the 12 zones of the Oromia Region in Ethiopia. Arsi is also the name of a former province. Both the Zone and the former province are named after a subgroup of the Oromo, who inhabit both...

 of the Oromia province, the same region as double Olympic champion Haile Gebrselassie

Haile Gebrselassie

Haile Gebrselassie is an Ethiopian long-distance track and road running athlete. He won two Olympic gold medals over 10,000 metres and four World Championship titles in the event. He won the Berlin Marathon four times consecutively and also had three straight wins at the Dubai Marathon...

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Worku began competing at a young age: she won the 5000 m silver medal at the 1995 All-Africa Games

Athletics at the 1995 All-Africa Games

The sixth All-Africa Games were held in August 1995 in Harare, Zimbabwe. As the track is at an altitude of 1473 metres all performances are considered to be set at altitude, this is believed to assist events up to 400 metres and in the long jump and triple jump...

 when she was sixteen years old and won the event at the 1996 World Junior Championships in Athletics

1996 World Junior Championships in Athletics

The 1996 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 1996 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Sydney, Australia.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com...

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She gained selection for her first Olympics soon after and took part in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She finished twelfth in the 5000 m final but she was Ethiopia's best performer in the event. She attended her first World Championships in Athletics

1997 World Championships in Athletics

The 6th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece between August 1 and August 10, 1997. In this event participated 1882 athletes from 198 participant nations...

 shortly after and finished 12th in the 5000 m.

She began to make progress in cross country running

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...

, taking the junior bronze at the 1997 IAAF World Cross Country Championships

1997 IAAF World Cross Country Championships

The 25th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held on 23 March 1997 in Turin, Italy.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- External links :**...

 before helping Ethiopia to the team silver at the 1998 edition

1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships

The 26th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 21-22 March 1998 in Marrakech, Morocco.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :...

 and then the team gold with a fourth place finish in the long race at the 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships

1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships

The 27th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 27-28 March 1999 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :...

. She finished third in the 1999–2000 IAAF World Cross Challenge

IAAF World Cross Challenge

The IAAF World Cross Challenge was a cross-country running contest organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations. The athletes accumulated points in three specific cross country meets during the season.-Men:-Women:...

. A ninth place at the 2000 World Championships competition

2000 IAAF World Cross Country Championships

The 28th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 18-19 March 2000 in Vilamoura, Portugal.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :...

 brought yet another team gold for Ethiopia.

Individual medals came at track competitions: she recorded a 5000 m personal best to take the bronze medal at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics. Soon after, she scored the gold medal at the 1999 All-Africa Games

Athletics at the 1999 All-Africa Games

The seventh All-Africa Games were held in September 1999 in Johannesburg, South Africa. As the track is at an altitude of 1748 metres all performances are considered to be set at altitude, this is believed to assist events up to 400 metres and in the long jump and triple jump...

. Worku made her second Olympic appearance at the 2000 Sydney Games

Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, 46 events in athletics were contested, 24 for men and 22 for women. There were a total number of 2134 participating athletes from 193 countries.-Men's events:...

, where she finished in fourth place in the 5000 m behind compatriot Gete Wami

Gete Wami

Getenesh Wami is a female Ethiopian cross country and track runner....

. Worku reached the world podium at the next event however by repeating her 5000 m bronze medal feat of two years previous at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics

2001 World Championships in Athletics

The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...

. She finished a close second behind Derartu Tulu

Derartu Tulu

Derartu Tulu is an Ethiopian long distance track, road and marathon athlete.Derartu , a member of the Oromo ethnic group, grew up tending cattle in the village of Bekoji in the highlands of Arsi Province...

 in the 10,000 metres at the 2001 Goodwill Games

Athletics at the 2001 Goodwill Games

At the 2001 Goodwill Games, the athletics events were held at the ANZ Stadium in Brisbane, Australia from 4–7 September. A total of 44 events were contested, with 22 events each for male and female athletes.-Records:-Men:-Women:-Medal table:...

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Worku began to compete in 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...

 competitions after 2002, winning the 2003 Montferland Run

Montferland Run

Montferland Run is a 15-kilometres road running competition held every December in 's-Heerenberg, Montferland municipality, the Netherlands.-Winners:Key:- External links :**...

 and the 2007 edition of the Hamburg Marathon

Hamburg Marathon

The Hamburg Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of held in Hamburg, Germany. In 2009, 13,938 participants were counted.- History :The first edition took place in 1986 with about 8,000 participants...

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Personal bests

• 1500 metres - 4:10.08 (1999)
• 3000 metres - 8:32.80 (2002)
• 5000 metres - 14:41.23 (2000)
• 10,000 metres - 31:38.08 (2001)
• Marathon
  Marathon
  The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
  
   - 2:29:14 (2007)

Achievements

1995	All-Africa Games 1995 All-Africa Games The 6th All-Africa Games were played from September 13, 1995 to September 23, 1995 in Harare, Zimbabwe. 46 countries participated in eighteen sports....	Harare Harare Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its... , Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...	2nd	5,000 metres
1996	Summer Olympics Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics - Women's 5000 metres These are the official results of the Women's 5.000 metres at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. There were a total of 48 competitors, with two non-starters.-Final classification:-Non-qualifiers:-See also:...	Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in... , U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	12th	5,000 metres
1997	World Championships 1997 World Championships in Athletics The 6th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece between August 1 and August 10, 1997. In this event participated 1882 athletes from 198 participant nations...	Athens, Greece	12th	5,000 metres 1997 World Championships in Athletics - Women's 5000 metres These are the official results of the Women's 5,000 metres event at the 1997 World Championships in Athens, Greece. There were a total number of 42 participating athletes, with two qualifying heats and the final held on Saturday 1997-08-09.-First round:...
1999	World Championships 1999 World Championships in Athletics The 7th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Estadio Olímpico, Seville, Spain, between the August 20 and August 29....	Seville Seville Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...	3rd	5,000 metres
	All-Africa Games Athletics at the 1999 All-Africa Games The seventh All-Africa Games were held in September 1999 in Johannesburg, South Africa. As the track is at an altitude of 1748 metres all performances are considered to be set at altitude, this is believed to assist events up to 400 metres and in the long jump and triple jump...	Johannesburg Johannesburg Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...	1st	5,000 metres
2000	Summer Olympics Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, 46 events in athletics were contested, 24 for men and 22 for women. There were a total number of 2134 participating athletes from 193 countries.-Men's events:...	Sydney, Australia	4th	5,000 metres
2001	World Championships 2001 World Championships in Athletics The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...	Edmonton, Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...	3rd	5,000 metres
2007	Hamburg Marathon Hamburg Marathon The Hamburg Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of held in Hamburg, Germany. In 2009, 13,938 participants were counted.- History :The first edition took place in 1986 with about 8,000 participants...	Hamburg, Germany	1st	Marathon	2:29:14