Girmaw Amare

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Girmaw Amare
גירמה אמרה
Personal information
Native nameגירמה אמרה
National team Israel
CitizenshipIsraeli
Born (1987-10-26) October 26, 1987 (age 36)
West Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia
Height172 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Weight60 kg (132 lb)
Sport
SportRunning
Event(s)10,000 m, half marathon, marathon, and half marathon team event
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)Marathon: 2:05:52 (Valencia) (2023)
Half marathon: 1:02:00 (Berlin) 2022

Girmaw Amare (Hebrew: גירמה אמרה; born 26 October 1987) is an Ethiopian-born Israeli Olympic runner.[1] He competes in the 10,000 m, half marathon, marathon, and half marathon team event.[2] He represented Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics. In 2022, Amare won a team gold medal in the 2022 European Marathon Cup at the 2022 European Athletics Championships. In 2023 at the Valencia Marathon, Amare ran a personal best 2:05:52. He will represent Israel at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in the marathon on August 10, 2024.

Early and personal life[edit]

Amare was born in West Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia, and is Jewish. He was born to an Ethiopian-Jewish family, and grew up in a village that had neither electricity nor running water.[3][4] He immigrated to Israel with his family in 2006, at 19 years of age..[3] He attended Wingate Institute.[5] He is married, and has a daughter named Adi.[3]

Amare said: "Ethiopians are used to their runners leaving because they have been bought by other countries who want them to run under another flag. But I proudly tell people that I left because I wanted to go to Israel. We left because we are Jews. It is such a feeling of pride to wave our flag, and to show the world that we can achieve great things.”[3]

Running career[edit]

2016–19; national championships[edit]

In June 2016 Amare ran in the 5,000 metres Israeli Championships, with a time of 14:02.67, winning a bronze medal.[6]

In January 2017 Amare won a silver medal in the 40th Sea of Galilee Tiberias International Marathon with a time of 2:17:20.[6]

In August 2017 he represented Israel at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics, coming in 63rd in the marathon with a time of 2:26:37.[7][8][9]

In January 2018 Amare won the 41st Sea of Galilee Tiberias International Marathon with a time of 2:15.30, the sixth-best time ever by an Israeli, and won the Israeli national championship.[10][11]

In February 2018, he won the Israeli 15 km Challenge in Rishon Letzion, Israel, with a time of 44:55.[1]

In March 2018 Amare competed at the 2018 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, coming in 10th in the Men's Half Marathon Team Event and 52nd in the Men's Half Marathon with a time of 1:03:19.[2]

In July 2018 he won the 5,000 metres Israeli Championships with a time of 13:56.91.[6]

In December 2018, at the Valencia Marathon in Valencia, Spain, Amare ran a 2:12:37, setting a new Israeli record.[12]

In February 2019, he won the Israeli 15 km Championships in Rishon Letzion, Israel, with a time of 45:13.[1][6]

In May 2019 Amare came in eighth in the Prague Marathon with a time of 2:09:54, again setting a new Israeli record.[13][14][12]

2020–present; 2020 Olympics, European Marathon Cup gold medal[edit]

In February 2020 at the Seville Marathon in Seville, Spain, Amare ran a 2:07:28, coming in 11th place.[6]

In July 2020 at the 1,500 metres Israeli Championships, he ran a 3:52.06, winning a silver medal.[6]

In March 2021 at the Agmon Hahula Marathon in Israel, Amare ran a 2:07:50, winning a silver medal.[6]

In April 2021 at the Israeli 10,000m Championships he ran a 28:21.27, winning a silver medal.[6]

Amare represented Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the marathon on August 8, 2021, in Hokkaido, Japan, coming in 28th with a time of 2:16:17.[15][16]

In April 2022 at the Berlin Half Marathon in Berlin, Germany, Amare ran a personal best 1:02:00, coming in 13th.[6] That same month at the Israeli 10,000m Championships he ran a 28:24.93, winning a bronze medal.[6][16]

In August 2022, Amare won a team gold medal in the 2022 European Marathon Cup at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich, Germany, as he ran a 2:11:32.[17][18][19]

In December 2022 at the Tiberias Half Marathon he ran a 1:03:21, winning a bronze medal.[6]

In June 2023 Amare won the 5,000 metre Israeli League Cup with a time of 14:28.32.[6]

In December 2023 at the 2023 Valencia Marathon in Valencia, Spain Amare ran a personal best 2:05:52, coming in 13th.[6]

Amare will represent Israel at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in the marathon on August 10, 2024.[20]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Girmaw AMARE | Profile". iaaf.org.
  2. ^ a b "Athletics - Girmaw Amare (Israel)". the-sports.org.
  3. ^ a b c d Adam Ross (March 7, 2021). "Israel's Marathon Dream; As a boy in Ethiopia, Girmaw Amare dreamed that one day he would represent Israel as a runner in the Olympics. Now his dream is within reach".
  4. ^ "The Long Run Home," June 1, 2022.
  5. ^ "Athletes / AMARE Girmaw". universiade2013.sportresult.com.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Girmaw Amare | Profile". World Athletics.
  7. ^ ""IAAF World Championships; ATHLETES by EVENT and SEASON BEST"" (PDF).
  8. ^ Andrew Sherwood (August 6, 2017). "Mixed fortunes for Israel's marathon runners". The Times of Israel.
  9. ^ Allon Sinai. "MINENKO CARRYING ISRAEL’S HOPES IN TRIPLE-JUMP FINAL," The Jerusalem Post.
  10. ^ Allon Sinai (8 January 2018). "Drama abounds in all aspects of Tiberias Marathon - Israel News". The Jerusalem Post.
  11. ^ "TEFERI SETS ISRAELI MARATHON RECORD AT EUROS, CHEMTAI LOSES MEDAL," The Jerusalem Post.
  12. ^ a b "Israel - national athletics records evolution - men - senior". run123.one.
  13. ^ "European Athletics - Athlete: Girmaw Amare". european-athletics.
  14. ^ "SALPETER SMASHES PRAGUE MARATHON COURSE RECORD WITH 2:19:46," IAAF.
  15. ^ "Gimraw Amare," Olympics.com.
  16. ^ a b "Marathon, Men". Olympedia.
  17. ^ "Athletics - Team Israel | European Championships". ec2022results.com.
  18. ^ "Athletics AMARE Girmaw - European Championships". ec2022results.com.
  19. ^ Rakovsky, Ido (August 16, 2022). "Israel stuns Europe with poignant gold medal in team marathon in Munich". Haaretz.
  20. ^ צוקר, יאיר (March 3, 2024). "מקום שביעי לאיימרו עלמיה במרתון טוקיו, גירמה אמרה יהיה הנציג השלישי של ישראל בפריז". דבר העובדים בארץ ישראל.

External links[edit]