Girmawit Gebrzihair

Girmawit at the 2018 World U20 Championships in Athletics
Personal information
Full name	Girmawit Gebrzihair Gebru Girmawit Gebregziabher
Nationality	Ethiopia
Born	21 November 2001 (22 years, 52 days old)[1]
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Half marathon 10,000 metres
Achievements and titles
National finals	2019 Ethiopian Champs  • 10,000m, 7th 2022 Ethiopian Champs  • 10,000m, 1st
Personal bests	HM: 1:04:14 (2022) 10,000m: 30:23.69 (2023)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Ethiopia World U20 Championships 2018 Tampere 5000 m World Cross Country Championships 2019 Aarhus U20 team African Cross Country Championships 2018 Chlef U20 race
Updated on 1 January 2024.

Girmawit Gebrzihair Gebru (born 21 November 2001), also spelled Girmawit Gebregziabher, is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. In 2022, she ran the fourth-fastest half-marathon of all time with a 64:14 performance.

In 2018, Girmawit won the bronze medal at the 2018 World U20 Championships in Athletics in the women's 5000 m. Her age was the subject of controversy after athletes and journalists claimed photos of her from the event depicted someone older than her official age of 16, though no official proof of age cheating was provided.

Career

Girmawit first caught attention in 2017 at the age of 14, when she finished second at the Great Ethiopian Run with a time of 32:33 over the 10K run distance. According to the Association of Road Racing Statisticians records, this mark was a single-age best for 14 year olds by 43 seconds, beating Ji-ang Qinghua of China's time from 1999.^[2]

In 2018, she won the Ethiopian Athletics U20 Championships in the 5000 m with a time of 15:48.81 and the next day finished third in the 3000 m. In July, at the age of 16, she participated in the World U20 Championships in Athletics and finished third behind Beatrice Chebet and Ejgayehu Taye with a time of 15:34.01 minutes.

In 2019, Girmawit finished fifth in the U20 race at the World Cross Country Championships, helping her team win the gold medal. In July, she placed eighth in the 10,000 m at the Ethiopian qualifiers for the World Championships in Athletics, setting a personal best but not making the team.

In 2020 and 2021, Girmawit was not listed in any competition results.^[1]

In January 2022, Girmawit competed in the Great Ethiopian Run, finishing second with a time of 31:29, behind Yalemzerf Yehualaw. On February 19, she set a new course record at the RAK Half Marathon with a time of 1:04:14.^[3] The time was the fourth fastest ever run by a woman in the half marathon.^[4] In May, Girmawit finished fifth in the 3000 m at the 2022 Doha Diamond League with a time of 8:41.88.

Age controversy

The photo of Girmawit from World U20s that went viral and resulted in ridicule

In July 2018, photos of Girmawit from the 2018 World U20 Championships in Athletics went viral for her apparent age. Sprinter Óscar Husillos tweeted in Spanish, "Her children and grandchildren are in the stands to see her run in the World U20 Championships".^[5] Other journalists also ridiculed the photos, claiming that Girmawit could not possibly be 16 years old.^[6]

Despite the controversy, there has been no proven evidence that Girmawit is over-aged.^[7] Husillos later deleted his tweet, claiming that it was taken out of context and his words were misinterpreted.^[8]

Statistics

Personal bests

Event	Mark	Place	Competition	Venue	Date	Ref
Half marathon	1:04:14		Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon	Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates	19 February 2022	[1]
10,000 metres	30:23.69	5th	Ethiopian 10,000m World Championships Trials	Nerja, Spain	23 June 2023	[1]

References

External links

• Girmawit Gebrzihair at World Athletics