Teyba Erkesso
Encyclopedia
Teyba Erkesso Wako (born 30 October 1982 in Arsi
) is an Ethiopia
n runner who specializes in road running
(including the half marathon
and marathon
) as well as cross-country running.
She began running for Ethiopia internationally at the age of sixteen and won her first gold medal
at the 2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
, helping the Ethiopian women to a team victory. She formed a key part of Ethiopian team competitions in her early career, helping them reach the podium at international events on numerous occasions. Her first individual medal came at the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
, where she won the bronze medal
in the short race.
It was in road running competitions where she made her name. She won the Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale
at the age of 21 but only switched her focus to road running in 2007. After a fourth place finish at the 2009 Chicago Marathon
, she set a state record of 2:23:53 at the Houston Marathon
(a personal best). She won her first major events in 2010, placing first in the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon
and then the Boston Marathon
. She is perhaps known for pushing the pace during the middle of the race, as she did in Boston and Houston to break away.
, where she finished 38th overall at the age of sixteen. She improved to 20th place at the 2001 edition of the event, helping the Ethiopian women to the team bronze medal as a result. She made her mark in cross country the following year at the 2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
by finishing tenth and taking the gold medal in the team competition with Ethiopia. She returned to the World Half Marathon Championships in 2003, but could not repeat her medal success, finishing in 21st place and fourth overall with the women's team. One of her first ever road racing wins was at the Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale
in 2003, where she finished the half marathon in 1:10:07.
The 2004 season marked a significant progression for Teyba Erkesso: she took on both the long and short races at the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
in Brussels
. After finishing fifth in the long race and winning the team gold, she reached the global podium for the first time with a bronze medal in the short race and yet another team gold. She won the IAAF's Lotto Cross Cup Brussels
cross country meeting twice consecutively in 2005 and 2006. She again ran in two races at the 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
, but was less successful on her second attempt. Although she finished twelfth and won a team gold medal in the short race, she was well off the pace in 46th position in the long race.
Erkesso was victorious at the Vancouver Sun Run
10K in 2007, and won the 2009 Bay to Breakers
with a time of 38:29. That same year she just missed out on the podium at the Chicago Marathon
, finishing in fourth place. She won the 2009 Houston Marathon
in a state record time and improved it further with a second win in 2010, running 2:23:53. She set a new personal best at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon
in 2010, taking fourth place with a time of 1:07:41. She won her first World Marathon Major in April that year, winning the Boston Marathon
with a time of 2:26:11. She led from the halfway point and increased her lead, just managing to hold off Tatyana Pushkareva in the final stages. In June she took part in the Freihofer's Run for Women
and finished in fourth place, some distance off the winner Emily Chebet
.
Arsi
* Arsi Province, a former province of Ethiopia* Arsi Zone, a zone within the Oromia region of Ethiopia* Arsi Oromo, an Ethiopian clan of the Oromo people* Arsi language, a dialect of Oromo language* Arsi language, an extinct Tocharian language...
) 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 runner who specializes 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...
(including the half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
and 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...
) as well as cross-country running.
She began running for Ethiopia internationally at the age of sixteen and won her first 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 2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 30th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 23-24 March 2002 in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :...
, helping the Ethiopian women to a team victory. She formed a key part of Ethiopian team competitions in her early career, helping them reach the podium at international events on numerous occasions. Her first individual medal came at the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 32nd IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 19-20 March 2004 in Brussels, the capital of Belgium.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :...
, where she won the 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...
in the short race.
It was in road running competitions where she made her name. She won the Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale
Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale
The Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale is an annual half marathon which follows a course from Marseille to Cassis in France during the last weekend in October. First organised by the SCO Sainte-Marguerite sports club in 1979, the event has grown into a large international competition, with...
at the age of 21 but only switched her focus to road running in 2007. After a fourth place finish at the 2009 Chicago Marathon
Chicago Marathon
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a major marathon held yearly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alongside the Boston, New York, London and Berlin Marathons, it is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also an IAAF Gold Label race...
, she set a state record of 2:23:53 at the Houston Marathon
Houston Marathon
The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon held every January in Houston, Texas. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently with a half marathon and a 5 km race...
(a personal best). She won her first major events in 2010, placing first in the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon
Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon
Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon is an annual half marathon held in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.The first edition, in 2007, saw Samuel Wanjiru breaking the world record, but Wanjiru himself set a new world record only a month later in another race...
and then the Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
. She is perhaps known for pushing the pace during the middle of the race, as she did in Boston and Houston to break away.
Career
Her first major competition representing Ethiopia was the 1999 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships1999 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 8th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on October 3, 1999 in the city of Palermo, Italy. A total of 193 athletes, 120 men and 73 women, from 48 countries took part.-Individual:-Team:-Individual:-Team:...
, where she finished 38th overall at the age of sixteen. She improved to 20th place at the 2001 edition of the event, helping the Ethiopian women to the team bronze medal as a result. She made her mark in cross country the following year at the 2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 30th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 23-24 March 2002 in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :...
by finishing tenth and taking the gold medal in the team competition with Ethiopia. She returned to the World Half Marathon Championships in 2003, but could not repeat her medal success, finishing in 21st place and fourth overall with the women's team. One of her first ever road racing wins was at the Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale
Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale
The Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale is an annual half marathon which follows a course from Marseille to Cassis in France during the last weekend in October. First organised by the SCO Sainte-Marguerite sports club in 1979, the event has grown into a large international competition, with...
in 2003, where she finished the half marathon in 1:10:07.
The 2004 season marked a significant progression for Teyba Erkesso: she took on both the long and short races at the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 32nd IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 19-20 March 2004 in Brussels, the capital of Belgium.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :...
in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. After finishing fifth in the long race and winning the team gold, she reached the global podium for the first time with a bronze medal in the short race and yet another team gold. She won the IAAF's 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...
cross country meeting twice consecutively in 2005 and 2006. She again ran in two races at the 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
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...
, but was less successful on her second attempt. Although she finished twelfth and won a team gold medal in the short race, she was well off the pace in 46th position in the long race.
Erkesso was victorious at the Vancouver Sun Run
Vancouver Sun Run
The Vancouver Sun Run, sponsored by The Vancouver Sun newspaper, is a 10-km race held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada each year on the third Sunday in April since 1985...
10K in 2007, and won the 2009 Bay to Breakers
Bay to Breakers
The Bay to Breakers is an annual footrace which takes place in San Francisco, California on the third Sunday of May. The name reflects the fact that the race starts at the northeast end of the downtown area a few blocks from The Embarcadero and runs west through the city to finish at the Great...
with a time of 38:29. That same year she just missed out on the podium at the Chicago Marathon
Chicago Marathon
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a major marathon held yearly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alongside the Boston, New York, London and Berlin Marathons, it is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also an IAAF Gold Label race...
, finishing in fourth place. She won the 2009 Houston Marathon
Houston Marathon
The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon held every January in Houston, Texas. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently with a half marathon and a 5 km race...
in a state record time and improved it further with a second win in 2010, running 2:23:53. She set a new personal best at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon
Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon
Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon is an annual half marathon held in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.The first edition, in 2007, saw Samuel Wanjiru breaking the world record, but Wanjiru himself set a new world record only a month later in another race...
in 2010, taking fourth place with a time of 1:07:41. She won her first World Marathon Major in April that year, winning the Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
with a time of 2:26:11. She led from the halfway point and increased her lead, just managing to hold off Tatyana Pushkareva in the final stages. In June she took part in the Freihofer's Run for Women
Freihofer's Run for Women
Freihofer's Run for Women is an annual five-kilometer road running competition for women that is usually held in late May or early June in Albany, New York, United States. First held in 1979, the race has grown into a sizable event that holds IAAF Silver Label Road Race status and had 3,927...
and finished in fourth place, some distance off the winner Emily Chebet
Emily Chebet
Emily Chebet is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in the 10,000 metres and cross country running...
.
Achievements
| Representing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | World Half Marathon Championships 1999 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The 8th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on October 3, 1999 in the city of Palermo, Italy. A total of 193 athletes, 120 men and 73 women, from 48 countries took part.-Individual:-Team:-Individual:-Team:... |
Palermo Palermo Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old... , Italy |
38th | Half marathon | |
| 2001 | World Half Marathon Championships 2001 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The 10th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on October 7, 2001 in the city of Bristol, UK, and was run simultaneously with that year's Bristol Half Marathon. A total of 200 athletes, 125 men and 75 women, from 52 countries took part.-Individual:... |
Bristol Bristol Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007... , United Kingdom |
20th | Half marathon | |
| 3rd | Team | ||||
| 2002 | World Cross Country Championships 2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 30th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 23-24 March 2002 in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :... |
Dublin, Ireland Republic of Ireland Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,... |
10th | Long race | |
| 1st | Team | ||||
| 2003 | World Half Marathon Championships 2003 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The 12th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on October 4, 2003 in Vilamoura, Portugal. A total of 171 athletes, 98 men and 73 women, from 49 countries took part.-Individual:-Team:-Individual:-Team:-External links:*... |
Vilamoura Vilamoura Vilamoura is in the municipality of Loulé, in the Algarve, Portugal. Its boundaries lie within the parish of Quarteira. Vilamoura is a purpose built resort and Marina which was started from scratch by a wealthy banker from Porto, Cupertino de Miranda. The resort was started in 1974 and is still... , Portugal |
21st | Half Marathon | |
| 4th | Team | ||||
| Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale The Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale is an annual half marathon which follows a course from Marseille to Cassis in France during the last weekend in October. First organised by the SCO Sainte-Marguerite sports club in 1979, the event has grown into a large international competition, with... |
Marseille, France | 1st | Half Marathon | ||
| 2004 | World Cross Country Championships 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 32nd IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 19-20 March 2004 in Brussels, the capital of Belgium.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :... |
Brussels Brussels Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union... , Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
5th | Long race | |
| 1st | Team | ||||
| 3rd | Short race | ||||
| 1st | Team | ||||
| World Half Marathon Championships 2004 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The 13th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on October 3, 2004 in New Delhi, India. A total of 152 athletes, 91 men and 61 women, from 55 countries took part.-Individual:-Team:-Individual:-Team:-External links:*... |
New Delhi New Delhi New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is... , India India India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world... |
15th | Half marathon | ||
| 1st | Team | ||||
| 2006 | World Cross Country Championships 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... |
Fukuoka Fukuoka, Fukuoka is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by... , Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
12th | Short race | |
| 1st | Team | ||||
| 48th | Long race | ||||
| World Road Running Championships 2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships The 1st IAAF World Road Running Championships were held in Debrecen, Hungary on 8 October 2006, the women's race starting at 11:00 and the men's race at 13:00. This was the first time the title of World Road Running Champion had been competed for, with this competition replacing the IAAF World Half... |
Debrecen Debrecen Debrecen , is the second largest city in Hungary after Budapest. Debrecen is the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar county.- Name :... , Hungary Hungary Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The... |
10th | 20 km | ||
| 2nd | Team | ||||
| 2007 | All-Africa Games Athletics at the 2007 All-Africa Games The athletics competition at the 2007 All-Africa Games was held on the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers, Algeria between 18 July and 22 July 2007. Nigeria was the most successful nation of the competition having won nine golds and 24 medals in total. South Africa was a close second with seven golds... |
Algiers Algiers ' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000... , Algeria Algeria Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab... |
5th | 10,000 m | |
| 2009 | Houston Marathon Houston Marathon The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon held every January in Houston, Texas. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently with a half marathon and a 5 km race... |
Houston, United States Houston, Texas Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ... |
1st | Marathon | 2:24:15 |
| 2010 | Houston Marathon Houston Marathon The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon held every January in Houston, Texas. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently with a half marathon and a 5 km race... |
Houston, United States Houston, Texas Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ... |
1st | Marathon | 2:23:53 |
| Boston Marathon Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest... |
Boston, United States | 1st | Marathon | 2:26:11 | |
Personal bests
- 3000 metres3000 metresThe 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...
- 8:56.67 min (2006) - 5000 metres5000 metresThe 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...
- 15:02.28 min (2004) - 10,000 metres - 31:13.67 min (2007)
- Half marathonHalf marathonA half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
- 1:07:41 hrs (2010) - MarathonMarathonThe marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
- 2:23:53 hrs (2010)