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{{short description|Ethiopian long-distance runner|bot=PearBOT 5}}

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Addis Ababa, Derg>EthiopiaMESERET DEFAR>URL=HTTP://WWW.IAAF.ORG/ATHLETES/ETHIOPIA/MESERET-DEFAR-171229#BIOGRAPHYPUBLISHER=INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ATHLETICS FEDERATIONS, 9 February 2014, 155ftinWORK=ESPN.GO.COMESPN INTERNET VENTURES>ACCESS-DATE=9 FEBRUARY 2014, 42lbARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20200417174602/HTTPS://WWW.SPORTS-REFERENCE.COM/OLYMPICS/ATHLETES/DE/MESERET-DEFAR-1.HTMLARCHIVE-DATE=17 APRIL 2020PUBLISHER=SPORTS REFERENCE, 9 February 2014, |country = {{ETH}}Athletics (sport)>Athletics|event = 3000 metres, 5000 metres|show-medals = no|medaltemplates = {{MedalCountSummer Olympics>Olympic Games1|0IAAF World Championships in Athletics>World Championships1|2IAAF World Indoor Championships}}>41African Championships in Athletics>African Championships3|0IAAF World Junior Championships in Athletics>World Junior Championships1|0IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics>World Youth Championships1|0Total>118>3}}{{Medal|Olympic}} {{Medal|Gold|2004 Athens|5000 m}} {{Medal|Gold|2012 London|5000 m}}{{Medal|Silver|2008 Beijing|5000 m}}{{Medal|Competition|World Championships}}{{Medal|Gold|2007 Osaka|5000 m}}{{Medal|Gold|2013 Moscow|5000 m}}{{Medal|Silver|2005 Helsinki|5000 m}} {{Medal|Bronze|2009 Berlin|5000 m}}{{Medal|Bronze|2011 Daegu|5000 m}} {{Medal|Competition|World Indoor Championships}} {{Medal|Gold|2004 Budapest|3000 m}}{{Medal|Gold|2006 Moskva|3000 m}}{{Medal|Gold|2008 Valencia|3000 m}}{{Medal|Gold|2010 Doha|3000 m}}{{Medal|Silver|2012 Istanbul|3000 m}}{{Medal|Silver|2016 Portland|3000 m}}{{Medal|Bronze|2003 Birmingham|3000 m}} {{MedalCompetition|All-Africa Games}}{{MedalGold|2003 Abuja|5000 m}}{{MedalGold|2007 Algiers|5000 m}}{{Medal|Competition|African Championships}}{{Medal|Gold|2006 Bambous|5000 m}}{{Medal|Silver|2000 Algiers|5000 m}}{{Medal|Silver|2008 Addis Ababa|5000 m}}{{Medal|Silver|2010 Nairobi|5000 m}}{{Medal|Competition|World Junior Championships}}{{Medal|Gold|2002 Kingston|3000 m}}{{Medal|Gold|2002 Kingston|5000 m}}{{Medal|Silver|2000 Santiago|5000 m}} {{Medal|Competition|World Youth Championships}}{{Medal|Silver|1999 Bydgoszcz|3000 m}}}}Meseret Defar Tola (Amharic: መሠረት ደፋር; born 19 November 1983) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes chiefly in the 3,000 metres and 5,000 metres events. She has won medals at top-tier international competitions including Olympic and World Championship gold medals over 5,000 metres. She broke the world record in the event in 2006, broke it again in 2007 and held it until 2008, when fellow Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba beat her time.In 2007 on a track in Brussels Belgium, she became the only woman with a 2-mile run in less than 9 minutes (8:58.58). This was an improvement on the world record by 11 seconds.WEB,weblink Defar Sets World Record in Two-Mile Race, 14 September 2007, Defar has been successful in the 5,000 m at the Olympic Games, taking gold at the 2012 London Olympics and 2004 Athens Olympics and bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She has experienced similar success in the World Championships, taking silver in the 2005 Helsinki Championships and gold at the 2007 Osaka Championships.Defar held the indoor records for the 5000 metres, 3,000 metres and two-mile run. She has dominated the 3,000 m indoor event, winning four consecutive gold medals at the IAAF World Indoor Championships from 2004 to 2010. She is also a two-time champion at the All-Africa Games, a four-time medalist at the African Championships and a two-time gold medalist at the World Junior Championships.Defar took a break from competition in 2014 in order to start a family. She vowed to return by 2015 although she did not compete in the August World Championships in Beijing.NEWS, Eder, Larry, Meseret Defar is pregnant, will miss 2014, back in 2015, by EME News,weblink 1 September 2015, RunBlogRun, 6 March 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150910132539weblink">weblink 10 September 2015, dead,

Career

Olympics

Defar won the 5,000 metres gold medal at the inaugural Afro-Asian Games in 2003. She won gold medals in the women's 5,000 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens with a time of 14:45.65 and 5,000 metres at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She also won bronze medal at 2008 Beijing Olympics, which turned in a silver medal after the disqualification of Turkish athlete Elvan Abeylegesse.

World Records

On 3 June 2006 she ran the 5,000 metres in New York City in a then-world record time of 14:24.53 – she subsequently improved the record to 14:16.63 at the Bislett Games in Oslo on 15 June 2007.On 3 February 2007 she ran the 3,000 metres indoor in Stuttgart (Germany) in a world record time of 8:23.72.On 20 May 2007 she ran the 2 mile in Carson, California in a world best time of 9:10.47.Meseret Defar 2mile WR 9:10.47 at Carson – YouTube videoOn 1 September 2007 she won gold in 14:57.91 at 5,000 m at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, to go along with her Olympic victory and world record.2007 World Championships weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120214050720weblink">Women 5000m result – IAAF2007 WC [//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa7STALJbmM 5000m women's] – YouTube videoOn 14 September 2007, she set a world best (8:58.58) in the women's {{convert|2|mi|km|adj=on}} at the Van Damme Memorial meet, shaving 11.89 seconds off the 9:10.47 mark she set in May at Carson, California.Meseret Defar 2mile WR 8:58.58 at IAAF Golden League-Brussels – YouTube video Also in 2007, Defar won the female IAAF World Athlete of the Year award.NEWS,weblink Gay and Defar are World Athletes of the Year – Powell and Vlasic win Performance of the Year Award, IAAF, 24 April 2016,

World Championships

She won a silver medal at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, losing only to Tirunesh Dibaba.In 2006, she won the World Indoor Championships over 3000 metres, defending her title from the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships.In the Reebok Boston Indoor meeting of January 2008, Defar ran a time of 9:10.50 in the two-mile (3.2 km) event to establish a new two-mile indoor world best time, breaking the previous indoor best by over twelve seconds.NEWS, Morse, Parker,weblink Defar runs 9:10.50 Two Miles World best in Boston, IAAF, 24 April 2016, Defar won her third consecutive World Indoor gold medal in the 3000 m at the 2008 World Indoor Championships in Athletics. At the 2008 African Championships in Athletics, Defar was defeated in the 5000 m by compatriot Meselech Melkamu. At the 2008 Bislett Games, Defar's 5000 m world record was broken by Tirunesh Dibaba. She took a 3000/5000 m double at the 2008 World Athletics Final.Defar began the 2009 athletics season by improving upon her personal bests, setting a new 5000 m world indoor record of 14:24.37 and an indoor world best over two miles (3.2 km) with a 9:06.26 run.NEWS, Ramsak, Bob, 26 February 2009,weblink Defar runs 9:06.26 Two Miles World best in Prague, IAAF, 24 April 2016, She competed in the 10,000 metres event at the British national trials in July, attempting to take a spot on the Ethiopian team at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. In spite of the wet and windy conditions, she ran a personal best of 29:59.20 minutes – breaking Paula Radcliffe's UK all-comers’ record, becoming the fifth woman to run sub-30 minutes, and earning qualification for the Championships in the process.NEWS, Brown, Matthew, 12 July 2009,weblink Defar clocks 29:59.20 in Birmingham to secure Berlin ticket, IAAF, 24 April 2016, In Berlin, Meseret was leading the 2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 10,000 metres until the last 50 metres when her legs appeared to dramatically tie up, handing the gold medal to Kenya's Linet Masai and was passed by three other athletes, finishing with a time of 30:52.37. She then ran in the 2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 5000 metres final and was leading at the top of the home straight, but was passed by two Kenyan with metres to go, Vivian Cheruiyot and Sylvia Kibet. She went on to beat both athletes in the 3000 m at the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final a month later, setting a world leading time of 8:30.15 in the process.Rebounding from her bronze medal championship performance, she scored a fourth straight gold medal in the 3000 m at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships. Moving on to the road circuit, she won her third title at the Carlsbad 5000, although her time of 15:04 did not trouble her own course record.NEWS, Cruz, Dan, 12 April 2010,weblink Defar and Kipchoge prevail in Carlsbad, IAAF, 24 April 2016, At the 2010 African Championships in Athletics, she represented Ethiopia in the 5000 m and won the silver medal behind Vivian Cheruiyot. SHe won the 3000 m gold at the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup a month later. She made her half marathon debut at the Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon and succeeded first time, winning in a time of 1:07:44. This mark improved upon Berhane Adere's fastest time on American soil for the distance and was the fifth fastest ever debut.NEWS, Larkin, Duncan, 20 September 2010,weblink Defar clocks 1:07:44 in Half Marathon debut in Philadelphia, IAAF, 24 April 2016, At the beginning of 2011 she made a world record attempt for the indoor 3000 m and came just short with a run of 8:36.91 minutes.NEWS, Julin, A. Lennart, 23 February 2011, 18 February 2013,weblink With three more World junior records, Bengtsson steals the spotlight in Stockholm, IAAF, She was dominant on the outdoor circuit, taking 5000 m wins at the FBK Games, Bislett Games and Meeting Areva. Her win streak ended at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, where she first dropped out of the 10,000 m then was beaten by Vivian Cheruiyot and Sylvia Kibet in the 5000 m, ending up with the bronze medal.NEWS,weblink Focus on Athletes - Meseret Defar, IAAF, 18 February 2013, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130923034851weblink">weblink 23 September 2013, At the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships she aimed for a fifth straight title and was leading until the last 100 m, at which point she fell behind Hellen Obiri and finished the race as runner-up.NEWS, Johnson, Len, 11 March 2012,weblink EVENT REPORT - Women's 3000 Metres - Final, IAAF, 18 February 2013, A haul of second-place finishes followed in the outdoor season, as she came runner-up to Cheruiyot twice and fellow Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba.NEWS, Rowbottom, Mike, 11 May 2012,weblink Middle distance magic highlights hot results in Doha – Samsung Diamond League, IAAF, 18 February 2013, In spite of this, when it came to the 5000 m final at the 2012 London Olympics she outran both her rivals to claim her second Olympic title over the distance.NEWS, Martin, David, 10 August 2012,weblink London 2012 - Event Report - Women's 5000m Final, IAAF, 18 February 2013, She began her indoor track season in 2013 with a 3000 m win in 8:35.28 minutes.NEWS, Gordon, Ed, 2 February 2013,weblink Defar delights over 3000m, five world-leading marks in Karlsruhe, IAAF, 18 February 2013, Later than month she ran a half marathon best of 67:25 minutes to break the course record at the New Orleans Half Marathon.NEWS,weblink Defar and Farah set course records in New Orleans, IAAF, 24 February 2013, 2 February 2013, She won her second world title in the 5000m 2013 World Championships in Athletics in Moscow in a time of 14:50:19. She won the race by staying close to the front, but without taking the lead before pulling away with 200m left.

Personal bests

(File:Meseret Defar Valencia 2008.jpg|thumb|Defar at the World Indoor Championships in 2008){| class="wikitable"! Type! Event! Time! Date! Place! NotesOutdoor1500 metres >New York City, New York, United States >|2000 metres >Eugene, Oregon, United States >|3000 metres >Brussels, Belgium >| Two miles >Brussels, Belgium >Two miles>World Record5000 metres >Stockholm, Sweden >|10,000 metres >Birmingham, England >|San Juan, Puerto Rico>San Juan, Puerto Rico Half marathon (road) 66:09 a 15 September 2013 South Shields, United Kingdom 67:25 24 February 2013 New Orleans, United States Marathon (road) >Nagoya, Japan >|Indoor3000 metres >Brussels, Belgium >|Prague, Czech Republic >|5000 metres >Stockholm, Sweden >|

• All information taken from IAAF profile.

Personal life

Defar is a Christian who exhibited her religious beliefs publicly, when celebrating her 5000 meter win at 2012 Olympics by revealing and venerating an icon of Mary and Baby Jesus.WEB, CNA, Virgin Mary 'crosses the finish line' with Olympic gold runner,weblink 2023-01-13, Catholic News Agency, en, NEWS, Crouse, Karen, 2012-08-10, Ethiopian Reclaims 5,000-Meter Title From a Rival Countrywoman, en-US, The New York Times,weblink 2023-01-13, 0362-4331,

See also

• List of world records in athletics

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{sisterlinks|d=Q5877|c=Category:Meseret Defar|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|s=no|wikt=no|species=no}}

• {{World Athletics||name=Meseret Defar}}
• Meseret Defar's Global Athletics profile
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070911220452weblink">Video Interview of Meseret Defar before and after 2007 IAAF World Championships 5000m

title=Women's 5,000 m World Record Holder|years=June 3, 2006 – June 6, 2008| after={{flagicon|ETH}} Tirunesh Dibaba}} {{IAAF World Athlete of the Year (women)}}{{Footer Olympic Champions 5000 m Women}}{{Footer World Champions 3000 and 5000 m Women}}{{Footer World Indoor Champions 3000m Women}}{{Footer IAAF World Cup Champions 3000m Women}}{{Footer IAAF World Cup Champions 5000m Women}}{{Footer All-Africa Champions 5000 m Women}}{{Footer African Champions women's 5000 metres}}{{Footer World Athletics U20 Champions women's 3000 metres}}{{Footer IAAF Diamond League 5000 Metres Champions Women}}{{Footer WBYP 5000m Women}}{{Footer WBYP 10000m Women}}{{Authority control}}