Yomif Kejelcha

Yomif Kejelcha Atomsa (born 1 August 1997) is an Ethiopian distance runner. He won a silver medal in the men’s 10,000 metres at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. He is the current world indoor record holder in the mile.

Yomif Kejelcha
Yomif Kejelcha in 2016
Personal information
Full nameYomif Kejelcha Atomsa
NationalityEthiopian
Born (1997-08-01) 1 August 1997
Oromia, Ethiopia
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Weight58 kg (128 lb)
Sport
CountryEthiopia
SportAthletics
Event(s)Long-distance running
ClubNike
Coached byTim RowBerry
Achievements and titles
World finals2015 Beijing
5000 m, 4th
2017 London
5000 m, 4th
2019 Doha
10,000 m,  Silver
Personal best(s)
Medal record
World Championships
2019 Doha10,000 m
World Indoor Championships
2016 Portland3000 m
2018 Birmingham3000 m
World Junior Championships
2014 Eugene5000 m
World Youth Championships
2013 Donetsk3000 m
Youth Olympic Games
2014 Nanjing3000 m
African Junior Championships
2015 Addis Ababa5000 m

Career

Yomif Kejelcha 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.[2][3] At the Ostrava Golden Spike elite meeting in May 2014 he placed second over 3000 metres in 7:36.28, losing only to Kenya's Caleb Ndiku; he defeated 2008 Olympic medallist Nick Willis and former World Champion Bernard Lagat.[2][4] Yomif won the 5000 metres at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Eugene, Oregon, running 13:25.19; he also won gold, in the 3000 metres, at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing later that summer.[2] He finished 2014 as the world youth leader at both 3000 and 5000 metres, and world junior leader at 3000 metres.[2]

Yomif opened his 2015 season at the African Junior Championships in Addis Ababa, winning the 5000 metres in 14:31.03.[2][5] He made his IAAF Diamond League debut in Doha, placing fifth in the 3000 m; he then won a non-Diamond Race 5000 m race at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, improving his personal best to 13:10.54 and outkicking Edwin Soi and Galen Rupp.[6] Yomif scored his first Diamond League victory the following week at the Golden Gala in Rome, winning in a world-leading 12:58.39 and breaking 13 minutes for the first time.[2][7] On 11 September 2015 Kejelcha competed in the Diamond League event in Brussels and set a new personal best (and world-leading time for 2015) of 12:53.98 in the 5,000-meter event.[8]

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

At the European Athletics Outdoor Classic Permit Meeting in Sweden on 18 August 2018, Kejelcha won the 3000m in 7:28.00.[9]

On 31 August 2018, he placed 3rd at the Diamond League Final. He ran 12:46.43, making him the 7th fastest 5000m runner ever.

Kejelcha came within a hundredth of a second of Hicham El Guerrouj's indoor mile record[10] on 9 February 2019 at the Millrose Games. Kejelcha ran an Ethiopian national record and a Millrose meet record 3:48.46, making him second all-time in the indoor mile.[11]

On 3 March 2019, Kejelcha broke the Indoor Mile World Record with a time of 3:47.01 an improvement over his previous time of 3:48.46. He came short of the 1500m Indoor World Record with a 3:31.25. He was paced by Erik Sowinski and Harun Abda. He is now the 9th fastest man Indoors or Outdoors tucked right behind Alan Webb’s American Record.

International competitions
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  Ethiopia
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, 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, 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

References
  1. https://www.eurosport.com/athletics/yomif-kejelcha_prs391536/person.shtml
  2. Yomif Kejelcha at Tilastopaja (registration required)
  3. "Kejelcha restores Ethiopia's pride in the boys' 3000m in Donetsk". International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). 14 July 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  4. "Yomif Kejelcha wint in Nanjing" (in Dutch). Hardloopnieuws.nl. 25 August 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  5. Negash, Elshadai; Wagar, Bizuayehu (8 March 2015). "5000m double for hosts Ethiopia at African Junior Championships". IAAF. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  6. Goe, Ken (29 May 2015). "Teenager Yomif Kejelcha runs away with the Prefontaine Classic 5,000". Oregon Live LLC. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  7. Minshull, Phil (4 June 2015). "World leads for Ethiopia's Kejelcha and Aman in Rome – IAAF Diamond League". IAAF. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  8. Mulkeen, Jon (11 September 2015). "AFRICAN RECORDS FOR GHRIBI AND KIPYEGON IN BRUSSELS – IAAF DIAMOND LEAGUE". IAAF. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2rYWaMHdu8
  10. "IAAF profile: Hicham El Guerrouj". IAAF. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  11. "Results: 112th NYRR Millrose Games". NYRR Millrose Games. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
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