Feyisa Lilesa

Quick Facts

Full Name	Feyisa Lilesa
Occupation	Marathon Runner
Date Of Birth	Feb 1, 1990(1990-02-01)
Age	34
Country	Ethiopia
Birth City	Ambo
Horoscope	Aquarius

Feyisa Lilesa Biography

Feyisa Lilesa is one of the most popular and richest Marathon Runner who was born on February 1, 1990 in Ambo, Ethiopia. Feyisa Lilesa (Afan Oromo: Fayyisaa Leellisaa; Amharic: fayesaa leelisaa born 1 February 1990) is a male distance racer from Ethiopia. As a part of the Oromo people and the first man in history to complete a race under 2 minutes by running 2:05:23 in the marathon for men in the 2010 Rotterdam Marathon. He set a personal best time of 2:04:52 for the race when he finished in second place in the 2012 Chicago Marathon.

He continued to improve during his participation in the Xiamen International Marathon in January 2010 and broke Samuel Muturi Mugo’s previous year’s record for the course with a time of 2:08:47 , which was his first victory in an important marathon. He shaved off a substantial amount off the time in the Rotterdam Marathon, where he ran in 2:05.23. The time was the third-fastest Ethiopian (and not a Kenyan runner) ever, just behind his compatriots Haile Gebrselassie and Tsegay Kebede. But, this was only fourth in the race in Rotterdam since the race was among the best ever. The podium finishers Patrick Makau, Geoffrey Mutai as well as Vincent Kipruto all moved into the top 10 all-time best marathon runners. He competed in the Chicago Marathon in October and was able to keep pace with leading racers, Tsegaye Kebede and Samuel Wanjiru until the 20 mile mark. He fell behind them afterward however, and ended up third in the time of 2:08:10. Feyisa Lilesa was one of the early front runners in the Delhi Half Marathon the following month, but ultimately finished in fifth position.

He began 2012 with a significant improvement in the half marathon, taking the Houston Half Marathon title with a course record time of 59:22 minutes. He entered the RAK Half Marathon the following month but was two minutes slower and ended the race in fifth place. He came third at the New York City Half Marathon in March, finishing behind fellow Ethiopian Deriba Merga. At the World 10K Bangalore he again missed the podium, falling back to fourth in the latter stages. He did not make the Ethiopian team for the 2012 Summer Olympics and that July he was runner-up at the Bogotá Half Marathon. He reached new heights in the marathon at the 2012 Chicago Marathon – he duelled against Tsegaye Kebede in the final stages and finished as runner-up with a personal best of 2:04:52 hours. He retained his half marathon title in Houston at the start of 2013 and came fourth at the RAK Half Marathon a month later. Feyisa won the national cross country title at the Jan Meda International, earning selection for the global race.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics, at which he won the silver medal in the Marathon, he crossed his wrists as a sign of support for his Oromo people who face relocation under a government program to allocate land surrounding the capital for industrial development, that prompted fierce demonstrations in November 2015 that lasted for months. The Oromos were using the same gesture in their protests. Feyisa also said that his gesture might lead to retribution on his return, and that he might be forced to leave his homeland. At a press conference held in Washington, D.C., on 14 September 2016, Feyisa urged the international community, particularly the United States which is an ally of Ethiopia, to put pressure on the Ethiopian government to give the people their rights lest an ethnic conflict follow the recent wave of protests. Despite his protest, he said that he would still like to run representing his country, Ethiopia.

He took home his first race, the Dublin Marathon in 2009 in his first race. He then took home his first race, the Xiamen International Marathon in 2010. He won the bronze medal in the race of 2011 World Championships marathon and the silver medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics marathon. The day that ended Rio 2016’s Rio Olympics (21 august) while finishing the Men’s Marathon and winning his silver medal, he extended his arms in a show of solidarity with protesters protesting against the massacre by the Oromo people living in his homeland of Ethiopia. Fearing of his own life should returning to Ethiopia and expressing his fears during a press conference that followed the race that he’d, “try and move to another country.” The country which he mentioned was U.S. and the State Department was asked about the possibility.

Feyisa Lilesa Net Worth

Feyisa Lilesa is one of the richest Marathon Runner from Ethiopia. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Feyisa Lilesa 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

He began competing internationally in 2008, and his first major competition was at the 2008. IAAF World Cross Country Championships in which his 14th place finishing during the race for juniors led the Ethiopians to win silver team medals. He raced at the first edition of World 10K Bangalore in May and finished fifth in an average time of 28.35 minutes.

Feyisa had his senior breakthrough in 2009, taking his performance into the next level during the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and earning the senior team silver medal when he finished 12th. The following April, he traveled towards his home in the United States to compete in the Crescent City Classic in New Orleans. He ran a best time of 10k of 28:20 and finished in the runner-up spot ahead of Mark Kiptoo. He pushed the distance up when he ran the annual Rock and roll Virginia Beach Half-Marathon in the month of September. He set a record time of 1:02:15 , but was defeated into second position by an Kenyan competitor but this time in name Chebor. William Chebor. He began his marathon debut the later that month, taking part in the Dublin Marathon. He was able to take the lead from the two-time winner Alekseysokolov and was unbeatable in his first race of the distance and beat Solokov by more than 1 minute and 15 minutes. He ran 2:09 minutes in a good debut , but he fell short of the time by five seconds.

He was part of the silver medal-winning Ethiopian team at the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, where he finished in seventeenth place. He ran at the Rotterdam Marathon in April, but was somewhat off the pace and finished seventh, more than six minutes behind the winner. He was chosen to represent Ethiopia at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and ran a season’s best time of 2:10:32 hours to take the bronze medal.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Feyisa Lilesa height Not available right now. Feyisa weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

Who is Feyisa Lilesa Dating?

According to our records, Feyisa Lilesa is possibily single & has not been previously engaged. As of December 1, 2023, Feyisa Lilesa’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record : We have no records of past relationships for Feyisa Lilesa. You may help us to build the dating records for Feyisa Lilesa!

Facts & Trivia

Feyisa Ranked on the list of most popular Marathon Runner. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in Ethiopia. Feyisa Lilesa celebrates birthday on February 1 of every year.

Top Facts about Feyisa Lilesa

1. Feyisa Lilesa is an Ethiopian long-distance runner.
2. He won the silver medal in the marathon at the 2016 Olympics.
3. Lilesa made a political protest gesture during the race.
4. He crossed his arms above his head to show solidarity with Oromo people.
5. The gesture drew international attention to human rights abuses in Ethiopia.
6. Lilesa was forced to flee Ethiopia and seek asylum in the United States.
7. He continues to advocate for human rights and democracy in Ethiopia.
8. Lilesa has won several other major marathons, including Tokyo and New York City.
9. His personal best time for the marathon is 2:04:52.
10. Lilesa is considered one of Ethiopia’s greatest distance runners of all time.

What did Feyisa Lilesa do?

Feyisa became the first Ethiopian to finish in the top two of a men’s Olympics marathon since 2000 , taking silver behind Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge. After his political protest, Ethiopian officials denied he was in danger, saying he would be welcomed home from Rio as a hero.

What happened to Feyisa Lilesa?

Lilesa, a member of the Oromo ethnic group that rebelled against the previous government in 2015, has been living in self-imposed exile in the United States since 2016 and was joined by his family the following year.

Who is the hero of Ethiopia?

Hero in History: Emperor Menelik II 3, 1889. Menelik decisively rejected an Italian attempt to establish a protectorate over Ethiopia in 1893, and repelled their military invasion at Adwa in 1896.

Who is the national hero of Ethiopia?

Legacy. Dejazmach Belay Zeleke is considered by native Ethiopians as a hero.

Who is a famous marathon runner?

Haile Gebrselassie Widely regarded as the greatest distance runner in history, he has broken an astounding 61 Ethiopian national records and set 27 world records. Gebrselassie won two Olympic gold medals and four World Championship titles.