Teklemariam Medhin Weldeslassie (born 24 June 1989 in Hazega

Hazega

Hazega is a small village in Central Eritrea located in the former province of Hamasien. It is 13 miles north-west from the capital city, Asmara, and 35 miles south-east of Keren. It is an entirely Christian village inhabited by the Tigrinya speaking people of Eritrea...

) is an Eritrea

Eritrea

Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...

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...

 who specializes 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...

 and 10,000 metres.

As a junior he competed in the junior races at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships

IAAF World Cross Country Championships

IAAF World Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Held annually and organised by International Association of Athletics Federations , it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the International Cross Country Championships...

, finishing thirteenth in 2006

2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships

The 34th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 1-2 April 2006 in Fukuoka, Japan.The event was once again dominated by Ethiopian and Kenyan runners and also Eritrean runners...

 and fourteenth in 2007

2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships

The 35th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in Mombasa, Kenya on 24 March, 2007. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition...

. He finished twelfth in the 5000 metres at the 2006 World Junior Championships

2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics

The 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2006 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held from 15 August to 20 August at the Chaoyang Sports Center in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China....

, and also competed in the 2008 Olympic 10,000 metres while still a junior. At the 2009 World Cross Country Championships

2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships

The 37th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in the Al Bisharat Golf Course at Amman, Jordan on 28 March 2009. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition...

 he finished ninth in the senior race. The Eritrean team took bronze medals in the team competition. At the 2009 World Championships

2009 World Championships in Athletics

The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....

 he finished twelfth in the 10,000 metres

2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 10,000 metres

The Men's 10,000 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium on 17 August. A large field of 31 athletes from 15 countries was set to participate in the final, although Irishman Martin Fagan did not start the competition.Kenenisa Bekele was the favourite...

 and fifteenth in the 5000 metres

2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 5000 metres

The men's 5000 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics will be held at the Olympic Stadium on 20 and 23 August-Medalists:-Records:-Qualification standards:-Schedule:-Heats:...

.

He was the surprise silver medal

Silver medal

A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....

list in the men's race 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...

 and helped the Eritrean team (including 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...

 and Kidane Tadasse

Kidane Tadasse

Kidane Tadesse Habtesilase is an Eritrean long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres....

) to another silver. During the track season, he set a new 5000 m best 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:...

 in Rome but was a distant eighth in the 10,000 m at the 2010 African Championships in Athletics

2010 African Championships in Athletics

The 2010 African Championships in Athletics was held in Nairobi, Kenya from 28 July to 1 August 2010.-Background:The African Championships in Athletics were held in Kenya for the first time...

.

Turning back to cross country in November, he proved himself to be a top competitor on the surface: he won at the Cross Internacional de Atapuerca, defeating World Champion Joseph Ebuya

Joseph Ebuya

Joseph Ebuya is a Kenyan runner who specializes in the 5000 metres and was the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships champion.-Early life and career:...

 and European Champion Alemayehu Bezabeh

Alemayehu Bezabeh

Alemayehu Bezabeh Desta is an Ethiopian-born athlete who represents Spain internationally. He competes in middle- and long-distance running on the track, and also in cross country...

, and then beat Kidane Tadese both the Oeiras Cross Country and Cross Internacional Valle de Llodio

Cross Internacional Valle de Llodio

The Cross Internacional Valle de Llodio is an annual cross country running competition that takes place in Llodio in the Basque Country, Spain around late November. The event was first held in February 1985 and changed to an end-of-year competition soon after, holding its second edition in December...

 Ebuya broke his streak of wins at the Cross Internacional de la Constitución

Cross Internacional de la Constitución

Cross Internacional de la Constitución is an annual cross country running event which is held in early December in Alcobendas, Spain. The competition was first held in 1982 and began attracting top-level elite distance runners from the 1990s onwards...

, where he was runner-up.

His personal best times are 13:04.55 minutes in the 5000 metres, achieved in 2010 in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

; and 27:46.50 minutes in the 10,000 metres, achieved in June 2008 in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés

Saint-Maur-des-Fossés

Saint-Maur-des-Fossés is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 11.7 km. from the center of Paris.-The abbey:...

.