Langbahn Team – Weltmeisterschaft

Sileshi Sihine

Sileshi Sihine
Sileshi Sihine at a press conference at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
Personal information
Native nameስለሺ ስህኔ
NationalityEthiopian
Born (1983-01-29) 29 January 1983 (age 41)
Sheno, Shewa, Ethiopia
Height1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[1]
Weight48 kg (106 lb)
Spouse
(m. 2008)
Children2
Sport
Country Ethiopia
SportMen's athletics
Event(s)10000 metres
5000 metres
Retired2015
President of Ethiopian Athletic Federation
In office
4 February 2015 – 6 November 2016
Succeeded byHaile Gebrselassie

Sileshi Sihine (Amharic: ስለሺ ስህኔ; born 29 January 1983) is an Ethiopian retired long-distance runner.

Sileshi won silver medals in the 10,000 metres at both the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as at the 2005 World Championships and 2007 World Championships as well as a bronze medal in 2003. He also picked up a silver medal in the 5,000 m event at the 2005 World Championships.

Career

Junior career

Sileshi began running at school, inspired by the achievements of compatriot Haile Gebrselassie.

After success at the junior level, he emerged as a leading senior athlete.

2002-2003

In cross country, he won the Cross Internacional de Venta de Baños in 2002 and 2003.[2]

Sileshi was one of three Ethiopians, along with Kenenisa Bekele and Gebrselassie, who swept the 10,000 metres gold, silver, and bronze medals at the 2003 World Championships in Paris. Sihine then won the 10,000 metres at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games.

2004

Sileshi won a bronze medal at the World Cross Country Championships. He also won a silver medal in the 10,000 metres at the Summer Olympic Gamess in Athens, behind Bekele.[3][4][5]

2005

Sileshi won a silver medal in the 10,000 metres, behind Bekele, and the silver medal in the 5,000 metres at the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.

2006

At the World Cross Country Championships, Sileshi finished second behind Bekele.[6]

2007

At the World Championships in Osaka, Sileshi took the silver medal in the 10,000 metres, again finishing behind Bekele.

2008

He yet again took a silver medal in the 10,000 metres behind Bekele at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

2011

In May, Sileshi finished fifth in the 5000 metres at the Samsung DL Golden Gala in Rome, Italy.[7]

Nine days later at the Prefontaine Classic 10,000 metres in Eugene, Oregon, he finished in sixth place, 6.27 seconds behind winner Mohamed Farah.[8]

Sileshi attempted his first marathon race at the Amsterdam Marathon, but dropped out after 36 kilometres.[9]

2012

On 7 June, Sileshi finished seventh in the 5000 metres at the ExxonMobil Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway.[10] Two weeks later at a 10 kilometre road race in Birmingham, U.K., Sihine finished fourth, just 1.06 seconds behind Bekele, the winner.[11]

2015

In February, he was elected president of the newly formed Ethiopian Athletics Association.[12]

Personal life

In 2008, Sileshi is married to three-time Olympic champion athlete Tirunesh Dibaba. Their wedding was broadcast live on national television.[13]

Achievements

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Ethiopia
2002 World Junior Championships Kingston, Jamaica 2nd 10,000 metres 29:03.74
2003 World Championships Paris, France 3rd 10,000 metres 27:01.44
All-Africa Games Abuja, Nigeria 1st 10,000 metres 27:42.13
Afro-Asian Games Hyderabad, India 1st 10,000 metres 27:48.40
2004 Olympic Games Athens, Greece 2nd 10,000 metres 27:09.39
IAAF World Athletics Final Monte Carlo, Monaco 1st 5,000 metres 13:06.95
2005 World Championships Helsinki, Finland 2nd 5,000 metres 13:32.81
2nd 10,000 metres 27:08.87
World Half Marathon Championships Edmonton, Canada 4th Half marathon 1:01:14
2007 World Championships Osaka, Japan 2nd 10,000 metres 27:09.03
2008 Olympic Games Beijing, China 2nd 10,000 metres 27:02.77

Personal bests

The following are his personal bests:[14]

Surface Event Time (m:s) Venue Date
Outdoor
track
3000 metres 7:29.92 Rieti, Italy 28 August 2005
5000 metres 12:47.04 Rome, Italy 2 July 2004
10,000 metres 26:39.69 Hengelo, Netherlands 31 May 2004
Road 10 kilometres 27:56 Nijmegen, Netherlands 21 November 2004
15 kilometres 41:38 Nijmegen, Netherlands 21 November 2004
20 kilometres 58:09 Edmonton, Canada 1 October 2005
Half marathon 1:01:14 Edmonton, Canada 1 October 2005
Indoor 3000 metres 7;41.18 Stuttgart, Germany 31 January 2004
Two miles 8:27.03 Boston, U.S. 28 January 2006
5000 metres 13:06.72 Stockholm, Sweden 2 February 2006

References

  1. ^ "Sileshi Sihine".
  2. ^ Valiente, Emeterio (22 December 2003). "Sihine in a class of his own in Venta de Baños". International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  3. ^ "Brilliant Bekele takes gold". BBC Sport. 20 August 2004.
  4. ^ "Haile farewell". International Association of Athletics Federations.
  5. ^ 2004 Athens Olympics YouTube video: Men's 10000m
  6. ^ World Cross Country Championships Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine - sports123.com
  7. ^ "5000 METRES MEN - SAMSUNG DL GOLDEN GALA". International Association of Athletics Federations. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  8. ^ "10,000 METRES MEN - PREFONTAINE CLASSIC". International Association of Athletics Federations. 4 June 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  9. ^ van Hemert, Wim (16 October 2011). "Chebet sizzles sub-2:06, course record for Gelana in Amsterdam". International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  10. ^ "5000 METRES MEN - EXXONMOBIL BISLETT GAMES". International Association of Athletics Federations. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  11. ^ "2012 Aviva UK Olympic Trials & National Championships". FloTrack. 22 June 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  12. ^ Berhanu, Markos (4 February 2015). "Sileshi Sihine elected president of newly formed Ethiopian Athletes' Association". Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  13. ^ "Athletics Podium". Athletics Podium. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  14. ^ "Sileshi Sihine - Athlete Profile". International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Men's Zevenheuvelenloop Winner (15 km)
2004
Succeeded by