Ethiopian Paris Olympics marathon team ft. 3-time Olympic gold medalist Kenenisa Bekele, Sisay Lemma, & Tigist Assefa

The Ethiopian marathon team for the Paris Olympics has been announced, and it features some of the best athletes in the world. The team consists of six runners - three men and three women.

The men's side will be led by Kenenisa Bekele, who will be joined by Sisay Lemma and Deresa Geleta. On the other hand, Tigist Assefa will spearhead the Ethiopian women's challenge at the Paris Olympics and will be joined by Amane Beriso and Alemu Megertu.

Bekele is the second-fastest man alive, and the third-fastest man overall. He boasts a personal best of 2:01:41, which he ran in 2019 at the Berlin Marathon. His time makes him one of only four people in history to dip under the 2:02:00 mark.

The Ethiopian is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, twice in the 10,000m and once in the 5,000m. He is also a five-time World Champion, 12-time World Cross Country Champion, and a two-time Diamond League Champion.

Joining the Ethiopian marathon team for the Pairs Olympics behind Bekele as the third-fastest man alive is Sisay Lemma. Running in Valencia, Spain, in early December last year, Lemme crossed the finish line in 2:01:48, becoming the fourth man in history to achieve this feat.

The Ethiopian ran the marathon last year but was unable to finish. Since then, the 33-year-old has gone on to win the London and Boston Marathon, leading the race from wire-to-wire in the latter.

Rounding out the men's team will be Deresa Geleta. Holding a personal best of 2:03:27, he is currently ranked 38th in the world for the men's marathon. The 28-year-old has had a strong start to his Olympic year, storming to the win at the Zurich Maraton de Sevilla in late February.

Get to know the women on the Ethiopian Paris Olympics marathon team

Meanwhile, on the women’s side, Ethiopia’s challenge for a gold medal at the Paris Olympics will be headlined by Tigist Assefa. The 27-year-old is the reigning world record holder in the event, having clocked a 2:11:53 while running in Berlin in late September 2023. Her time makes her nearly two minutes faster than her closest competitor, and she will be the favorite for the win going into the Games.

Assefa is a two-time Berlin Marathon champion and claimed silver at the London Marathon in 2024. The Ethiopian made her Olympic debut in 2016, competing in the 800m sprint and finishing 20th.

Joining Assefa at the Paris Olympics will be Amane Beriso. Beriso is the fifth fastest woman of all time with a personal best of 2:14:58. She is a former World No. 1 on the event, and is currently ranked second behind Assefa.

Aged 32, she is the defending world champion and a silver medalist at the 2023 Boston Marathon. Her outing in Paris will mark the Ethiopian’s Olympic debut.

The last spot on the Ethiopian Paris Olympics marathon team goes to Alemu Megertu. The 26-year-old is the winner of the 2019 Rome Marathon and 2022 Zurich Seville Marathon.

In 2022, she also sprinted to bronze at the London Marathon, clinching her first podium finish at a World Marathon Major. She boasts a personal best of 2:18:32.