Zersenay Tadese

Quick Facts

Full Name	Zersenay Tadese
Occupation	Runner
Date Of Birth	Feb 8, 1982(1982-02-08)
Age	42
Birthplace	Mendefera
Country	Eritrea
Birth City	Southern Region
Horoscope	Aquarius

Zersenay Tadese Biography

Zersenay Tadese is one of the most popular and richest Runner who was born on February 8, 1982 in Mendefera, Southern Region, Eritrea. Zersenay Tdese (Tigrinya, zare’esanaaye taadasa) is an Eritrean long distance track and road-running athlete. He was born on 8 February 1982. From 2010 to 2018, he held the men’s halfway marathon world record. He held the men’s half- marathon world record from 2010 to 2018. His strategy does not rely on sprint finishing to win races. He uses a combination efficient running and fast pace setting.

Zersenay’s 2004 season was a major breakthrough and he was recognized as a serious competitor in distance running. Zersenay signed a contract to Adidas Spain, and won the European Clubs Cross Country Cup victory in February. He finished sixth at the World Cross Country Championships in June, which was better than his previous performances. He was assisted by Tesfayohannes Mesfen and Yonas Kifle, who took Eritrea to the third place in the team competition. This was the first time Eritrea had been on the podium at a cross-country event. He finished second in 10km Great Manchester Run two months later, with a time of 27.59 seconds. This was five seconds slower than winner Craig Mottram. In June, he took to the track at a Gava meeting, Spain and set another national record in the 10,000 m, with a time 27:32.61.

He opened 2005 with a second win in the European Clubs’ Cross Country Cup. He won his first World Cross Country Championship medal soon after, finishing second to Bekele to take silver at the 2005 edition. On the track, he recorded a 5000 m personal best of at the Qatar Grand Prix in Doha, and qualified to compete at the World Championships in both the 5000 and 10,000 m. At the 2005 World Championships, he broke the national record in the 10,000 m final, but his time of 27:12.82 was only enough for sixth. The 5000 m final held little reprieve for the Eritrean as he finished in second last position. He ended the season on a positive note, however, improving his 10,000 m best to 27:04.70 at the Memorial Van Damme, and winning the Great North Run with a world best time of 59:05 – which was only his second outing over the half marathon distance.

He scored a striking victory at the 2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, finishing the 20 km race in 56:01 – a time which was second only to Haile Gebrselassie’s world record and was forty seconds faster than the silver medallist Robert Kipchumba. It was first time that an Eritrean had won a major world title in sport. As Zersenay did not possess a strong sprint finish (crucial for success on the track) commentators suggested that a move to the marathon distance seemed an obvious career progression, but he downplayed the idea, stating that he would not change distances in the near future. He closed the season with a run at the New Year’s Eve 10 km road race: the San Silvestre Vallecana in Madrid. Zersenay and Eliud Kipchoge were awarded the same time of 26:54, but Kipchoge was announced as the race winner. Although this was faster than Haile Gebrselassie’s world record of 27:02 at the time, it was not ratifiable as the runners benefited from the race’s downhill circuit.

His season reached its peak at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He became the first Eritrean athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. Zersenay won the bronze medal in the 10,000m at the 2004 Summer Olympics, Athens, Greece, behind Kenenisa Bele and Sileshi Sihine. He ran 27:22.57, which was a remarkable improvement from his previous record of 10 seconds. This was despite the unfavorable heat conditions. Zersenay did not politicize his Ethiopian medal win, saying that he was friends with Ethiopians. We are now a nation…I am very happy. Meb Keflezighi, an Eritrean-born runner, won silver in marathon just a few days later. This was a sign of America’s rising standards. Zersenay reached the final of another event at his first Olympics, taking seventh in the men’s 5k race. This confirms his status as a top-notch runner.

Zersenay Tadese Net Worth

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

In 2002, he made his first international athletics debut at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. He finished in 30th with a time 36 minutes and 37 seconds, despite wearing unfitted shoes and being somewhat confused by the idea of a starting gun. He was still a long way from Kenenisa Begkele, the winner. In May, he competed in the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. He finished just outside of the top twenty with a time 1:03:05. He also competed in the African Athletics Championships on the track, finishing sixth in the 10,000m race in Rades (Tunia), completing a modest debut year.

Zersenay was a rising star in cross-country in 2003. He broke into the top ten of the 2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and placed in the top three for all six races in Europe that winter. Zersenay won the KBC Night of Athletics 5000m race in 13:11.07 and was invited to the IAAF World Championships in Athletics. He improved his record to 13:05.57 at the 2003 World Championships and placed eighth in the final of the 5000m. He made further improvements at the World Half Marathon Championships held in Vilamoura (Portugal), where he set a personal record of 1:01.26 and finished in seventh place.

He has also excelled in cross country running, winning a gold, a silver, and two bronze medals in the long distance race over five IAAF World Cross Country Championships. He is a four-time Olympian (2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016).

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Zersenay Tadese height 5 ft 3 in Zersenay weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

Who is Zersenay Tadese Dating?

According to our records, Zersenay Tadese married to Merhawit Tadesse. As of December 1, 2023, Zersenay Tadese’s is not dating anyone.

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

After the Olympics, Zersenay returned to Eritrea and trained for one month to prepare for the 2008 World Half Marathon Championships in Rio de Janeiro. He won his third consecutive title over the half marathon distance with ease, taking the lead early on and beating the second-placed Patrick Makau Musyoki by almost two minutes. His success caused much celebration in his home country, so much so that the President of Eritrea greeted him at the airport upon his return. With a strong history in the half marathon, Zersenay announced he would try the full marathon distance the following season.

Facts & Trivia

Zersenay Ranked on the list of most popular Runner. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in Eritrea. Zersenay Tadese celebrates birthday on February 8 of every year.

Bekele was keen to regain his cross country title from Zersenay and the 2008 cross country season was a competitive one. At the Great Edinburgh International Cross Country race, Zersenay was pipped by the Ethiopian at the line, finishing just one second behind. The following month, Zersenay beat Eliud Kipchoge to win the Cinque Mulini race in the buildup to the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. On the day of the Championship race in Edinburgh, Scotland, Zersenay took the lead early on and set a strong pace at the mid-race point. However, near the finish Bekele and Kenyan Leonard Komon surged ahead to leave Zersenay as the bronze medallist.

Who is Zersenay Tadese?

Zersenay Tadese (Tigrinya: ዘርእሰናይ ታደሰ; born 8 February 1982) is an Eritrean long-distance track and road running athlete. He held the men’s half marathon world record from 2010 to 2018.

What's the world record for the half marathon?

The men’s half-marathon world record is 57:31 , set by Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo on 21 November 2021 during the Lisbon Half-Marathon. The women’s record is 1:02:52, set by Letesenbet Gidey on 24 October 2021, at the Valencia Half Marathon.

What is a good half marathon time by age?

AgeAverage Half Marathon Finish TimePace Per Mile
65| 2:13:32| 10:12
70| 2:20:35| 10:44
75| 2:30:15| 11:28
80| 2:45:46| 12:39

What is the fastest 5k time?

The current world record holder for 5000 meters in the men’s category is Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, with a time of 12:35.36. On August 14, 2020, this record was set in the Stade Louis II in Monaco. As for a 5k road race, the current men’s record is 12:49, held by Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi.

What percentage of population has run a half marathon?

Well, you’ve come to the right place for some solid data. Believe it or not, less than 50% of runners have ever attempted a full marathon, while about 45% have completed 2-5 half marathons.