Tadese Takele
Takele in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | Ethiopian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Tadese Takele Bikila 3 August 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Track and Field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | Steeplechase | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Tadese Takele Bikila (born 3 August 2002) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He is a two-time winner of the Tokyo Marathon, winning in 2025 and defending the title in 2026. Formerly a steeplechaser, he represented Ethiopia at the 2020 Olympic Games and won silver medals in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2021 World U20 Championships and 2022 African Championships.
Career
Takele won the Ethiopian Olympic Trial in June 2021 in the 3000m steeplechase, running a personal best of 8:09.37 to beat Abrham Sime and Hailemariyam Amare.[1] Later that month, he finished second behind Soufiane El Bakkali in steeplechase in the Diamond League meeting in Florence, running 8:10.56.[2] Competing at the delayed 2020 Olympic Games in the 3000 metres steeplechase in August 2021, he finished ninth in heat three.[3] Later that month, he competed at the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships in the 3000 metres steeplechase, in Nairobi, Kenya, where he won the silver medal in 8.33.15, behind Amos Serem of Kenya but ahead of fellow Kenyan Simon Kiprop Koech.[4][5]
Takele also won a silver medal in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2022 African Championships in Mauritius, running 8:28.31 to finish behind compatriot Hailemariyam Amare.[6] He made his marathon debut at the 2023 Berlin Marathon, where he finished third with a time of 2:03:24, an all-time world-best for an U23 athlete.[7][8]
At the 2025 Tokyo Marathon, he finished first with a time of 2:03:23.[9] This was the fifth-fastest time ever recorded in the Tokyo Marathon, and he won the race ahead of Kenyan Deresa Geleta.[10] He represented Ethiopia in the marathon at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, in Tokyo in September 2025.[11]
On 1 March 2026, he successfully defended his title at the 2026 Tokyo Marathon in a three-way sprint finish with Geoffrey Toroitich and Alexander Mutiso, with both Takele and Toroitich running 2:03:37 and Mutiso a second slower in third.[12]
References
- ^ "2021 Ethiopian Olympic Trials: Gudaf Tsegay (14:13) & Getnet Wale (12:53) Among Six World-Leading Times as New Stars Emerge". LetsRun.com. June 8, 2021.
- ^ "Soufiane EL BAKKALI place first in Florence and signs the World Best Performance in 3000 mSC". en.yabiladi.com.
- ^ "Athletics - TAKELE Bikila Tadese - Tokyo 2020 Olympics". Tokyo2020.org. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
- ^ "World Athletics U20 Championships: Namibia's Olympic medallist Mboma to race in Nairobi". BBC Sport. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ "Kenya win three gold medals on the final day in Nairobi". World Athletics. 22 August 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ "African Athletics Championships". World Athletics. 8 June 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ "BMW BERLIN MARATHON - a race full of records". bmw-berlin-marathon.com. Archived from the original on 2024-04-12. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ "Takele and Kebede return to defend titles at Tokyo Marathon". World Athletics. 26 Feb 2026. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ "Athletics: Ethiopia's Takele, Kebede win Tokyo Marathon". Mainichi Daily News. 2025-03-02. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
- ^ "THE TOP FIVE MARATHONS AND THE TOP ATHLETES IN EACH: TOKYO, BOSTON, LONDON, BERLIN AND NEW YORK". Athletics Weekly. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ "World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025". World Athletics. 21 Sep 2025. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ "Brigid Kosgei Blitzes a Course Record to Win Her Second Tokyo Marathon". runnersworld.com. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.