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Yomif Kejelcha

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This is an Ethiopian name. The last name is a patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Yomif.
Yomif Kejelcha
Yomif in 2023
Personal information
Full nameYomif Kejelcha Atomsa
Born (1997-08-01) 1 August 1997 (age 27)
Showa, Oromia, Ethiopia[1]
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Weight58 kg (128 lb)
Sport
CountryEthiopia
SportAthletics
EventLong-distance running
ClubOromia Construction & Engineering Corporation Athletics Club[3]
TeamAdidas
Coached byTim Rowberry (Nike Oregon Project)
Nigatu Worku (personal)[4]
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Ethiopia
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2019 Doha 10,000 m
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 Portland 3000 m
Gold medal – first place 2018 Birmingham 3000 m
World Road Running Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Riga 5K
Diamond League
First place 2015 5000 m
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Eugene 5000 m
African Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Addis Ababa 5000 m
Youth Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2014 Nanjing 3000 m
World Youth Championships
Gold medal – first place 2013 Donetsk 3000 m
African Youth Games
Gold medal – first place 2014 Gaborone 3000 m
Updated on 2024

Yomif Kejelcha Atomsa (born 1 August 1997)[5] is an Ethiopian distance runner. He holds the current world record in the short track mile (3:47.01 set in 2019), and the half marathon (57:30 set in 2024, pending ratification).

Yomif won the silver medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2019 World Athletics Championships and gold medals for the 3000 metres at the 2016 and 2018 World Indoor Championships. He was the 2013 World Youth 3000 m champion and 2014 World Junior 5000 m gold medallist.

Early life

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Yomif was born on 1 August 1997 in Showa, Oromia, Ethiopia.[6] His father is Kejelcha Atoma, and his mother is Biritu Negese. He is the fifth of nine children.[7]

Yomif was introduced to the sport of athletics by his friend Abebe Dribsa. Against his father's wishes, Yomif dropped out of high school in the ninth grade to pursue running, leading to his expulsion from home. Yomif secured school clearance to apply for the police force, and returned home at the suggestion of his mother.[7]

Yomif joined the Burayu Kenema Club, and moved to the outskirts of Addis Ababa to train.[7]

Running career

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2013

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Yomif made his international debut at the 2013 World Youth Championships in Donetsk, winning gold in the boys' 3000 metres with a time of 7:53.56.[8][9]

2014

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In June, he placed second over 3000 m in 7:36.28 at the Ostrava Golden Spike elite meeting, losing only to Kenya's Caleb Ndiku; he defeated 2008 Olympic medallist Nick Willis and former world champion Bernard Lagat.[8][10] Yomif won the 5000 metres at the World Junior Championships held in July in Eugene, Oregon that year, running 13:25.19. He also won gold in the 3000 m at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing later that summer.[8] He finished 2014 as the world youth leader at both the 3000 and 5000 metres, and world junior leader at 3000 metres.[8]

2015

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Yomif opened his 2015 season at the African Junior Championships in Addis Ababa, winning the 5000 m in a time of 14:31.03.[8][11] He made his IAAF Diamond League debut in Doha, placing fifth in the 3000 m. He then won a non-Diamond Race 5000 m event at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, improving his personal best to 13:10.54 and outkicking Edwin Soi and Galen Rupp.[12] Yomif scored his first Diamond League victory the following week at the Golden Gala in Rome, winning 5000 m in a world-leading 12:58.39 and breaking 13 minutes for the first time.[8][13] On 11 September, Yomif competed in the event at the Brussels Diamond League, setting a new personal best and world-leading time of 12:53.98.[14]

2016

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He started 2016 by winning the gold in the 3000 metres at the World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon. On 27 August, Yomif won the event at the Diamond League Paris meet in a new world U20 record of 7:28.19.

2018

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At the European Athletics Outdoor Classic Permit Meeting in Sweden on 18 August, Yomif won the 3000 m with a time of 7:28.00.[15] On 31 August, he placed third in the 5000 m at the Diamond League Brussels Final. He ran a personal best of 12:46.79, making him the seventh-fastest runner ever in the event.

2019

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Yomif came within hundredth of a second of Hicham El Guerrouj's world indoor mile record on 9 February at the Millrose Games.[16] He ran an Ethiopian national record and a Millrose meet record of 3:48.46, making him second-fastest athlete of all time in the event.[17] On 3 March, Yomif broke this record with a time of 3:47.01, slicing 1.44 seconds off El Guerrouj's mark set in 1997. He came short of the 1500 metres world indoor record with his 3:31.25 split en route, making him the third-fastest indoor performer in history though. He was paced by Erik Sowinski, Christian Harrison, and Harun Abda.[18]

Yomif won the silver medal for the 10,000 metres at the 2019 World Athletics Championships held in Doha, Qatar, finished eighth in the event at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and placed also eighth in the 5000 m at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.[5]

Yomif was a member of the Nike Oregon Project from 2018 to 2019, where he trained alongside Galen Rupp and Sifan Hassan.[7]

2023

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On 19 March, he missed Berihu Aregawi's 5 kilometres world record of 12:49 by just one second in Lille, France to move up to second on the world all-time list.[19]

On 2 June, at the Golden Gala meeting in Florence, Yomif narrowly finished second to Mohamed Katir over the 5000 metres, in a time of 12:52.12, losing to Katir by only 0.03 seconds. On June 15, Yomif won the 5000 metres at the Bislett Games in Oslo in a time of 12:41.73, the fifth-fastest time in 5000 metre history. Finishing second to Yomif was Jacob Kiplimo, who lost by 0.003 seconds in one of the smallest margins in distance running history (12:41.725 to 12:41.728, making them the joint fifth fastest 5000 metre runners in history at the time).[20]

At the end of the 2023 outdoor season, on 17 September, Yomif competed in the 3000 metres at the Diamond League Final (Prefontaine Classic) in Eugene, Oregon. He finished second to Jakob Ingebrigtsen, in a time of 7:23.64, losing by only one hundredth of a second.[21] At the time, this was the fourth fastest men's 3000m performance in history, behind Ingebrigtsen's 7:23.63, Hicham El Guerrouj's 7:23.09, and Daniel Komen's world record of 7:20.67.[22]

2024

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On 30 May, Yomif contested the 5000 metres at the Oslo Diamond League, finishing second to compatriot Hagos Gebrhiwet. Hagos ran 12:36.73 to become the second fastest man in history at the 5000 metre distance, behind Joshua Cheptegei's world record of 12:35.36, while Yomif finished in a time of 12:38.95, becoming the fourth fastest 5000 metre runner in history, behind Kenenisa Bekele (12:37.35), Hagos, and Cheptegei.[23]

After exchanging leads with his teammates for most of the race, Yomif finished sixth in the 2024 Olympic 10,000 m.[24]

On 27 October, in the 2024 Valencia Half Marathon, Yomif set a new half marathon world record of 57:30, breaking Jacob Kiplimo's former half marathon world record of 57:31 by one second.[25]

Personal life

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Yomif married Yadu Birhanu Biru in 2022. Yomif is an avid fan of the English Premier League football team Chelsea.[7]

Yomif's running hero is compatriot Kenenisa Bekele, a four time Olympic medalist. He trains daily, running between 120 and 140 kilometres a week. He often trains alongside Telahun Haile Bekele, Hagos Gebrhiwet and Birhanu Balew.[7]

Achievements

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Yomif at the 2019 Millrose Games

All information from World Athletics profile.[5]

International competitions

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Representing  Ethiopia
Year Competition Venue Position Event Time
2013 World Youth Championships Donetsk, Ukraine 1st 3000 m 7:53.56
2014 African Youth Games Gaborone, Botswana 1st 3000 m 7:56.51
World Junior Championships Eugene, OR, United States 1st 5000 m 13:25.19
Youth Olympic Games Nanjing, China 1st 3000 m 7:56.20
2015 African Junior Championships Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 1st 5000 m 14:31.03
World Championships Beijing, China 4th 5000 m 13:52.43
2016 World Indoor Championships Portland, OR, United States 1st 3000 m 7:57.21
2017 World Championships London, United Kingdom 4th 5000 m 13:33.51
2018 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, United Kingdom 1st 3000 m 8:14.41
2019 World Championships Doha, Qatar 2nd 10,000 m 26:49.34
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 8th 10,000 m 27:52.03
2022 World Championships Eugene, OR, United States 8th 5000 m 13:12.09
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 5th 5000 m 13:12.51
2024 Olympic Games Paris, France 6th 10,000 m 26:44.02

Personal bests

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  • All statistics from World Athletics Profile[26] unless otherwise noted with a citation.
Category Event Time Venue Date Notes
Outdoor Track 1500 m 3:32.37 Nerja 14 June 2024 [27]
Mile 3:58.24 Stanford 30 June 2019 [28]
3000 m 7:23.64 Eugene 17 September 2023 5th all time
5000 m 12:38.95 Oslo 30 May 2024 4th all time
10,000 m 26:31.01 Nerja 14 June 2024 7th all time
Indoor Track 1000 m 2:18.34 Seattle 12 January 2019
1500 m 3:31.25+ Boston 3 March 2019 En route to mile
Mile 3:47.01 World record
2000 m 4:57.74 Metz 28 February 2014 WU20B
3000 m 7:38.67 Karlsruhe 3 February 2018
Road 5 km 12:50 Lille 19 March 2023 2nd all time
10 km 26:37 Laredo 16 March 2024 3rd all time
Half marathon 57:30 Valencia 27 October 2024 World record

Circuit wins and titles

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Track (facility) records

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As of 22 September 2024, Yomif holds the following track (facility) records, or the fastest time recorded in an event in the history of the track's facility.

Distance Location Time Date Notes
1500 m Nerja 3:32.37 14 June 2024 Personal best
3000 m Gothenburg 7:28.00 18 August 2018
3000 m Oslo 7:26.25 1 July 2021
3000 m Rabat 7:32.93 13 July 2018
10,000 m Nerja 26:31.01 14 June 2024 Personal best

References

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  1. ^ "Yomif Kejelcha". Athletics Podium. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Yomif Kejelcha - Player Profile - Athletics".
  3. ^ "Yomif KEJELCHA". Olympics. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  4. ^ "Yomif KEJELCHA". Olympics. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Yomif KEJELCHA – Athlete Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Athletics Podium". Athletics Podium. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "KEJELCHA Yomif". Olympics.com.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Yomif Kejelcha at Tilastopaja (registration required)
  9. ^ "Kejelcha restores Ethiopia's pride in the boys' 3000m in Donetsk". International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). 14 July 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  10. ^ "Yomif Kejelcha wint in Nanjing" (in Dutch). Hardloopnieuws.nl. 25 August 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  11. ^ Negash, Elshadai; Wagar, Bizuayehu (8 March 2015). "5000m double for hosts Ethiopia at African Junior Championships". IAAF. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  12. ^ Goe, Ken (29 May 2015). "Teenager Yomif Kejelcha runs away with the Prefontaine Classic 5,000". Oregon Live LLC. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  13. ^ Minshull, Phil (4 June 2015). "World leads for Ethiopia's Kejelcha and Aman in Rome – IAAF Diamond League". IAAF. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  14. ^ Mulkeen, Jon (11 September 2015). "AFRICAN RECORDS FOR GHRIBI AND KIPYEGON IN BRUSSELS – IAAF DIAMOND LEAGUE". IAAF. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  15. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "FASTEST 3000m since 2011 – Gothenburg GP 2018". YouTube.
  16. ^ "IAAF profile: Hicham El Guerrouj". IAAF. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  17. ^ "Results: 112th NYRR Millrose Games". NYRR Millrose Games. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  18. ^ "Kejelcha breaks world indoor mile record with 3:47.01 in Boston". World Athletics. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  19. ^ Sampaolo, Diego (19 March 2023). "Walelegn wins again in Seoul, Obiri and Kiplimo conquer New York". World Athletics. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  20. ^ "5000 Metres Men". World Athletics. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  21. ^ "Jakob Ingebrigtsen Leans To Win, Grant Fisher Breaks 3000m American Record - FloTrack". www.flotrack.org. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  22. ^ "3000 Metres - men - senior - outdoor". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  23. ^ "5000 Metres - men - senior - all". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  24. ^ "Men's 10,000 m Final Results". Olympics. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  25. ^ "Kejelcha breaks world half marathon record in Valencia | REPORTS | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  26. ^ "Yomif KEJELCHA | Profile | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  27. ^ "Ethiopian Trials by Nerja | Results | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  28. ^ "Prefontaine Classic/Stanford DL" (PDF). Track and Field News.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yomif Kejelcha.
Records
Preceded by Men’s Mile World Indoor Record Holder
3 March 2019 – 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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