British athlete (born 1997)
Mahamed Mahamed (born 18 September 1997) is a British long distance runner. He has represented Great Britain at senior level and is a twice English National Cross Country Champion .[ 1]
Early life
Mahamed was born in Jarso, Ethiopia on 18 September 1997 and emigrated to Southampton in England with his family in 2011 when he was thirteen years-old. He attended Cantell School in Bassett, Southampton .[ 2] He also attended Itchen College and studied for a degree in sports coaching and sports development at Southampton Solent University .[ 3] [ 4]
Career
Mahamed won the national U17 cross country title at Parliament Hill , London on 25 February 2015.[ 5]
Running for Southampton AC , Mahamed won both the English U20 National Championship and the Inter-Counties cross country championships in 2018.[ 6]
He won the senior English National Cross Country Championships in 2019, and again in 2022.[ 7] [ 8] Between those victories, he was selected for the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus ,[ 9] and he won the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh in February 2020.[ 10]
In September 2023, he finished second at The Big Half in London behind Jack Rowe and ahead of Andrew Butchart and Mo Farah , in his final race.[ 11] [ 12]
At his debut over the marathon distance at the Valencia Marathon in December 2023, he clocked 2:08:42, placing him seventh in the UK all-time rankings.[ 13]
He finished fourth at the 2024 London Marathon in a personal best 2:07.05.[ 14] This made him the third-fastest Briton ever over the distance and came under the qualifying time for the summer Olympics.[ 15] On 26 April 2024, he was selected by British Athletics for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris .[ 16] He finished in 57th place.
Personal life
A Muslim , Mahamed has explained to BBC News how keeping his fitness whilst he observes Ramadan is a challenge but worthwhile to his faith.[ 17] His brother Zak Mahamed is also a long-distance runner and was selected to represent Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the 2021 European Cross Country Championships in Fingal-Dublin, Ireland.[ 18] [ 19]
References
^ "Mahamed MAHAMED - Athlete Profile" . World Athletics . 3 December 2023.
^ Coombes, Lewis (2 May 2024). "Making Olympic team feels amazing says Mahamed" . BBC Sport . Retrieved 3 May 2024 .
^ Williams, Adam (4 October 2018). "Mahamed Mahamed: Mo Farah-inspired distance runner looking to emulate idol" . BBC Sport .
^ Moss, Emily (5 March 2016). "Sibling success for Mahamed and Zakariya Mahamed" . Athletics Weekly . Retrieved 3 December 2023 .
^ "Southampton's Mahamed Mahamed wins national cross country title at Parliament Hill in London" . Hampshire Chronicle . 25 February 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2023 .
^ Jones, Ruth (14 March 2018). "Mahamed Mahamed is just getting started" . Fast Running . Retrieved 3 December 2023 .
^ Turner, Jonathan (26 February 2022). "Mahamed and Gibbon take XC glory as tri stars shine too" . Run247 . Retrieved 3 December 2023 .
^ Smythe, Steve (27 February 2022). "Mahamed Mahamed and Jess Gibbon take English National titles" . Athletics Weekly . Retrieved 3 December 2023 .
^ "Mohamed brothers earn GB call-up for World Cross Country Champs" . Daily Echo . 13 March 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2023 .
^ Crumley, Euan (1 February 2020). "Anna Emilie Møller and Mahamed Mahamed dominate BUCS Champs in Edinburgh" . Athletics Weekly . Retrieved 3 December 2023 .
^ "Mo Farah finishes fourth in The Big Half in final London race" . BBC Sport . 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023 .
^ "Jack Rowe beats Sir Mo Farah at The Big Half" . UKRunchat . 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023 .
^ Henderson, Jason (3 December 2023). "Degefa and Lemma lead avalanche of fast times at Valencia Marathon" . Athletics Weekly . Retrieved 3 December 2023 .
^ "2024 London Marathon Recap: Peres Jepchirchir Smashes Women's-Only WR, Alexander Mutiso Munyao Gets His First Major Win" . Citiusmag . 21 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024 .
^ Crumley, Euan (21 April 2024). "Munyao beats Bekele, while Cairess storms to London podium finish" . Athletics Weekly . Retrieved 22 April 2024 .
^ "FINAL TEAM GB MARATHON SPOTS SEALED FOR PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES" . British Athletics . 26 April 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2024 .
^ Coombes, Lewis (26 April 2022). "Southampton runner describes how he maintains fitness during Ramadan" . BBC News . Retrieved 3 December 2023 .
^ "Solent Student Set to Compete in the 2021 Euro Cross Country Championships" . Solent.ac.uk . 9 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2023 .
^ Puri, Shivalika (17 December 2021). "Southampton Student Competes in the Euro Cross Country Championships" . Daily Echo . Retrieved 3 December 2023 .