Lamecha Girma
Personal information
Born (2000-11-26) 26 November 2000
Asella, Oromia, Ethiopia[1]
Sport
CountryEthiopia
SportAthletics
Event3000 m steeplechase
Coached byFikedu Girma (2021–)
Teshome Kebede (2018–2021)
Kefyalew Alemu (–2018)[1]
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Ethiopia
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place2020 Tokyo3000 m st.
World Championships
Silver medal – second place2019 Doha3000 m st.
Silver medal – second place2022 Eugene3000 m st.
Silver medal – second place2023 Budapest3000 m st.
World Indoor Championships
Silver medal – second place2022 Belgrade3000 m
African U20 Championships
Bronze medal – third place2019 Abidjan3000 m st.

Lamecha Girma (born 26 November 2000)[2] is an Ethiopian athlete who specialises in the 3,000 metres steeplechase. He is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medallist in the event and won silver medals at the 2019, 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships. Lamecha also won a silver in the 3,000 metres at the 2022 World Indoor Championships. He is the world indoor record holder for the 3,000 metres, which was set in February 2023. In June 2023 at the Meeting de Paris of the Diamond League, he broke the world record for the men's 3,000 metres steeplechase.

Career

Early career

At age 18, Lamecha Girma earned the junior bronze medal in the 3,000 m steeplechase at the 2019 African Under-20 Championships. The same year, he set an Ethiopian national record in his specialist event during the World Athletics Championships in Doha with a time of 8:01.36. He finished second behind Olympic and world champion from Kenya Conseslus Kipruto who ran 8:01.35; Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali came in third in 8:03.76.[3]

Breakthrough and Olympic silver medal

At the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Lamecha won the silver medal with a 8:10.38 clocking. This time El Bakkali finished first in 8:08.90 while third-placed Benjamin Kigen achieved 8:11.45.[4]

Girma became 2022 World Indoor Championship silver medallist at the 3,000 metres in Belgrade. He ran 7:41.63 while his compatriot Selemon Barega clocked 7:41.38 for gold, and Marc Scott was third in 7:42.02.[5] A few months later in July, at the World Championships held in Eugene, Oregon, Girma had to settle for silver once again in his signature event, finishing behind El Bakkali who ran 8:25.13 and ahead of Kipruto in third in 8:27.92.[6]

World indoor and outdoor records

On 15 February 2023, he smashed the 25-year-old world indoor 3,000 m record at the 2023 Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in Liévin with a time of 7:23.81, slicing 1.09 seconds off the previous mark held by Daniel Komen since 1998.[7][8]

On 9 June 2023, Girma broke the world 3,000 m steeplechase record at the Meeting de Paris of the Diamond League with a time of 7:52:11, which was 1.52 seconds faster than the 19-year-old previous world record of 7:53.63 set by Saif Saaeed Shaheen.[9] He was clearly in the lead with two laps to go before speeding up around the final lap, which he ran in about 64 seconds, to cross the finish line with the new fastest time. After the race, he expressed his happiness and stated that he had planned to beat the world record that night.[10]

Achievements

Personal bests

International competitions

Representing  Ethiopia
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventTime
2019 African U20 Championships Abidjan, Ivory Coast 3rd 3000 m s'chase 8:48.56
World Championships Doha, Qatar 2nd 3000 m s'chase 8:01.36 NR
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 2nd 3000 m s'chase 8:10.38
2022 World Indoor Championships Belgrade, Serbia 2nd 3000 m i 7:41.63
World Championships Eugene, OR, United States 2nd 3000 m s'chase 8:26.01
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 2nd 3000 m s'chase 8:05.44

Circuit wins

3000 metres steeplechase wins, other events specified in parentheses

References

  1. 1 2 Mulkeen, Jon (2020-02-10). "Girma's one-year journey from unknown runner to global medallist". World Athletics. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  2. ↑ "Lamecha Girma Athlete Profile". iaaf.org. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  3. ↑ "3000 Metres Steeplechase men. IAAF World Athletics Championships, DOHA 2019". iaaf.org. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  4. ↑ "Kenya's Reign is Over: Soufiane El Bakkali Wins Olympic Men's Steeplechase in Tokyo". LetsRun.com. 2021-08-02. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
  5. ↑ "2022 Worlds Day 3 AM: Barega Wins 3000 Gold as Rojas Jumps 15.74 TJ WR". LetsRun.com. 2022-03-20. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  6. ↑ Tennery, Amy (2022-07-19). "El Bakkali wins 3,000m steeplechase world gold". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  7. ↑ Rowbottom, Mike (15 February 2023). "Girma breaks world indoor 3000m record with 7:23.81 in Lievin". World Athletics. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  8. ↑ Henderson, Jason (15 February 2023). "Girma takes down Komen's world 3000m record in Liévin". AW. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  9. ↑ "World records fall as Kipyegon and Girma star on astonishing night in Paris". The Guardian. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  10. ↑ "Kipyegon, Girma and Ingebrigtsen make history in Paris". World Athletics. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
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