Ethiopian middle-distance runner
Lemlem Hailu (Amharic : ለምለም ኃይሉ; born 21 May 2001)[ 1] is an Ethiopian middle- and long-distance runner . She won the gold medal in the 3000 metres at the 2022 World Indoor Championships .[ 2] Hailu earned bronze in the 1500 metres at the 2019 African Games .
At age 16, she was the 1500 m 2017 World Youth champion to take a bronze in the event at the Youth Olympic Games a year later. She represented Ethiopia in the women's 1500 m at the 2019 World Championships and 2020 Tokyo Olympics . Hailu holds the world junior indoor record in the event.
Career
At age 16, Lemlem Hailu gained first international experience at the 2017 World Youth Championships in Nairobi , where she won the 1500 metres event. A year later, she took gold over the distance at the African Youth Games held in Algiers and went to Argentina for Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires , where she earned bronze in a combined 1500m event .[ 1]
In 2019, she captured the bronze medal for the 1500m at the African Games .[ 1] Hailu represented Ethiopia in the event at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, reaching the semi-finals .[ 3]
In February 2020, she set a world under-20 record for the indoor 1500 metres with a time of 4:01.79, breaking by 0.02 s previous mark set by her compatriot Gudaf Tsegay in 2016. The same month, Hailu improved her record to 4m 1.57s, which was her fourth personal best achieved within three weeks.[ 4] In October, she won the 1500m race at the Kip Keino Classic .[ 1]
In 2021, Hailu secured an overall 3000m World Indoor Tour victory, winning two top-level meets. She won the event at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in Liévin , and the Copernicus Cup in Toruń .[ 1] At the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics , Hailu was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 1500m event .[ 5]
The next year, Hailu became the 3000m World indoor champion in Belgrade with a season's best of 8:41.82 . Elle Purrier St. Pierre won silver in 8:42.04 while Hailu's compatriot Ejgayehu Taye was third in 8:42.23.[ 6]
Achievements
International competitions
Representing Ethiopia
Year
Competition
Venue
Position
Event
Result
2017
World Youth Championships
Nairobi , Kenya
1st
1500 m
4:20.80
2018
African Youth Games
Algiers , Algeria
1st
1500 m
4:36.71
Youth Olympic Games
Buenos Aires , Argentina
3rd
1500 m + XC
7 pts
2019
African Games
Rabat , Morocco
3rd
1500 m
4:20.60
World Championships
Doha , Qatar
18th (sf)
1500 m
4:16.56
2021
Olympic Games
Tokyo , Japan
18th (sf)
1500 m
4:03.76
2022
World Indoor Championships
Belgrade , Serbia
1st
3000 m i
8:41.82 SB
2023
World Championships
Budapest, Hungary
17th
10,000 m
32:42.78
2024
World Indoor Championships
Glasgow, United Kingdom
6th
3000 m
8:30.36
Circuit wins, and National titles
Personal bests
Road
References
External links