Bright future for Ethiopian women athletes in 1,500m

Monte Carlo – The IAAF in its end of year review report has noted that Ethiopian female athletes have bright future in the 1,500m race.

The report indicated that a number of Ethiopian athletes, including Ethiopian-born Maryam Jamal and Mimi Belete, who represent Bahrain in international competitions, feature in the top list.

Gelete Burka was the most active and consistent this year, averaging around 4:02 and finishing in the top-3 in major races such as Diamond League and African Championships, it said.

Mimi Belete started the year with a 4:04 PB and with a place in the Berlin semi-finals as her foremost merit. This summer she had four major international races at 4:00-4:02 finishing 3rd in the Stockholm DL and 2nd in Rieti.

Abeba Aregawi is a perhaps even more exciting prospect for the future: At age 20 a complete newcomer to the event (previously specializing in the 800m) she displayed a remarkably smooth and relaxed running style perfectly suited for the distance. She recorded 4:01 twice and probably it was only her lack of experience that prevented her from achieving top-3 finishes in her two DL appearances.

And to the bright Ethiopian future in the event should of course be added Kalkidan Gezahegn who still only 18 took an emphatic win at the World Indoors in Doha in March, but who then missed the outdoor season due to injury.

Source: IAAF