4. Gotytom Gebreslase
Gotytom Gebreslase competed in just four races this year but she ensured that she finished Top 3 in each of those races. Amid the political tension and military hostilities around the Tigray region in northern part of Ethiopia where Gebreslase’s parents reside, the former World Youth Champion remained focused in her bid to attain a successful season.
The long-distance runner gained international attention in 2021 when in her marathon debut, she took victory in the women’s race at the Berlin Marathon with an impressive time of 2:20.09, which was the eighth fastest winning time in Berlin Marathon’s history.
Gebreslase’s first race in 2022 was the delayed Tokyo Marathon which held in March and she finished 3rd in a time of 2:18:18. Two months later, she raced at the EDP Meia Maratona de Lisboa in Portugal where she once again placed 3rd in 1:07:11.
She won the GOLD medal in the marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, setting a Personal Best (PB) and Championship Record (CR) of 2:18:11 that bettered Paula Radcliffe’s mark of 2:20:57 at the 2005 Helsinki World Championships. Tamirat Tola won the men’s title alongside Gebreslase to complete an Ethiopian double in Eugene.
She ended the 2022 season at the New York City Marathon where she placed 3rd. The former World Youth Champion is ranked No.1 in the women’s marathon for the outgoing year.
