ATHLETE

Meseret Defar

1983 - Today

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Meseret Defar Tola (Amharic: መሠረት ደፋር; born 19 November 1983) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes chiefly in the 3,000 metres and 5,000 metres events. She has won medals at top-tier international competitions including Olympic and World Championship gold medals over 5,000 metres. She broke the world record in the event in 2006, broke it again in 2007 and held it until 2008, when fellow Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba beat her time. In 2007 on a track in Brussels Belgium, she became the only woman with a 2-mile run in less than 9 minutes (8:58.58). Read more on Wikipedia

Her biography is available in 37 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 34 in 2024). Meseret Defar is the 3,330th most popular athlete (up from 3,747th in 2024), the 62nd most popular biography from Ethiopia (up from 74th in 2019) and the 14th most popular Ethiopian Athlete.

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Among ATHLETES

Among athletes, Meseret Defar ranks 3,330 out of 6,025. Before her are Lucia Morico, Jolanda Čeplak, Mohammed Mourhit, Glory Alozie, Olaf Tufte, and Tatyana Sadovskaya. After her are Antonietta Di Martino, Agnes Tirop, Mel Pender, Dumitru Răducanu, Laura Dahlmeier, and Alessandro Puccini.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1983, Meseret Defar ranks 493. Before her are Lasse Svan Hansen, Britta Steffen, Ana Rucner, Nadine Koutcher, Didier Ovono, and Ayako Kitamoto. After her are Justin Verlander, Andranik Teymourian, Rafe Spall, André Bahia, Michael Turner, and Katia Winter.

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In Ethiopia

Among people born in Ethiopia, Meseret Defar ranks 62 out of 105. Before her are Eshetu Tura (1950), Ruth Negga (1982), Addis Abebe (1970), Fatuma Roba (1973), Elvan Abeylegesse (1982), and Tigst Assefa (1996). After her are Fita Bayisa (1972), Gadi Kinda (1994), Berhane Adere (1973), Sofia Assefa (1987), Genzebe Dibaba (1991), and Almaz Ayana (1991).

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Among ATHLETES In Ethiopia

Among athletes born in Ethiopia, Meseret Defar ranks 14. Before her are Sifan Hassan (1993), Eshetu Tura (1950), Addis Abebe (1970), Fatuma Roba (1973), Elvan Abeylegesse (1982), and Tigst Assefa (1996). After her are Fita Bayisa (1972), Berhane Adere (1973), Sofia Assefa (1987), Genzebe Dibaba (1991), Almaz Ayana (1991), and Gezahegne Abera (1978).

Ethiopian born Athletes

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