Gudaf Tsegay

1.1. Early life and background

Gudaf Tsegay was born on January 23, 1997, in Bora, located in the Tigray Region of northern Ethiopia. Her formative years in this region laid the groundwork for her future in athletics.

1.2. Marriage and coaching

Gudaf Tsegay is married to Hiluf Yihdego, who also serves as her coach. This dual relationship means her personal and professional lives are closely linked, with her husband guiding her training and competitive strategy.

2.1. Junior and early senior career (2014-2018)

Gudaf Tsegay made her international debut as a junior athlete. In February 2014, at the age of 16, she set the world's fastest under-18 mark in the indoor 1500 metres with a time of 4:08.47 in Stockholm. In July of the same year, the 17-year-old earned a silver medal in the 1500m at the World U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, clocking 4:10.83, finishing behind her compatriot Dawit Seyaum.

Two years later, Gudaf broke the world U20 indoor record for the 1500m with a time of 4:01.81 in Glasgow, surpassing the previous best set by Kalkidan Gezahegne in 2010. This record was later bettered in 2020 by another compatriot, Lemlem Hailu. At the World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon, she secured a bronze medal in the 1500m with a time of 4:05.71, placing behind Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands and Dawit Seyaum. The then 19-year-old represented Ethiopia in the 800 metres at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she was eliminated in her heat with a time of 2:00.13.

In 2017, she achieved her first sub-4 minute performance in the 1500m, finishing third at the Paris Diamond League on July 1. Gudaf competed at the London World Championships, where she exited the 1500m event in the semi-finals after a fall on the first lap, which hindered her recovery and performance.

Gudaf ran her first 5000 metres race on May 26, 2018, at the Prefontaine Classic, finishing fourth in 14:51.30. She then secured her first Diamond League victory at the BAUHAUS-galan in Stockholm, setting a significant new personal best of 3:57.41 in the 1500m. On July 22, Gudaf achieved another personal best of 4:16.14 for the mile at the London Diamond League.

2.2. Breakthrough and international recognition (2019-2021)

This period marked Gudaf Tsegay's emergence as a top-tier athlete, characterized by her first major championship medal and a world record.

At the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Gudaf won the bronze medal in the 1500m with a personal best time of 3:54.38. She finished behind Sifan Hassan (3:51.95) and Faith Kipyegon (3:54.22).

The following year, she achieved her first overall 1500m World Athletics Indoor Tour victory, securing wins at the Copernicus Cup in Toruń, Poland, the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in Liévin, France, and the Villa de Madrid Indoor Meeting in Spain.

On February 9, 2021, Gudaf broke the world indoor 1500m record at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais. She lowered the previous mark of 3:55.17, set by her compatriot Genzebe Dibaba in 2014, to an astonishing 3:53.09. Five days later, she set a new 800m personal best of 1:57.52 at the Meeting de l'Eure in Val-de-Reuil, placing her ninth on the all-time lists at that time.

Gudaf clocked the fastest 10,000m debut in history by winning at the Gold Gala Fernanda Ribeiro in Maia, Portugal, with a time of 29:39.42. In June, she won the 5000m at the Ethiopian Trials in Hengelo, Netherlands, setting a new personal best of 14:13.32, which was the world's best mark for 2021. She culminated this breakthrough period by winning a bronze medal in the 5000m at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In that race, Sifan Hassan took gold with 14:36.79, and Hellen Obiri of Kenya claimed silver with 14:38.36.

2.3. World champion and record holder (2022-2023)

This period solidified Gudaf Tsegay's status as a global athletics superstar, highlighted by multiple world titles and a new world record in the 5000m.

In February 2022, Gudaf competed in the mile in Liévin. Despite falling on the first lap, she finished in 4:21.72, breaking the 20-year-old meeting record. A few days later, while attempting to break her own world indoor record in the 1500m at the Copernicus Cup in Poland, she recorded the second-fastest mark on the world indoor all-time list, just 1.68 seconds shy of her record. Eight days later, she secured her second overall World Indoor Tour 1500m victory at the Villa de Madrid Indoor Meeting, delivering another record-breaking performance of 3:57.38, which was the fifth-fastest indoor 1500m result on the world all-time ranking.

In March 2022, Gudaf continued her dominant form at the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. She claimed her first global title by winning the 1500m with a championship record time of 3:57.19, finishing more than five seconds ahead of her competitors. This victory led an Ethiopian medal sweep, with Axumawit Embaye and Hirut Meshesha taking silver and bronze, respectively. This marked the first time a single country swept the medals in any discipline at the World Indoor Championships, and it was Ethiopia's seventh consecutive women's victory in the event.

Her most significant success of 2022 came in July at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where she earned two medals, including her first global outdoor title. The 25-year-old first secured a silver medal in the 1500m, finishing behind Faith Kipyegon and ahead of Laura Muir. Five days later, she won the gold medal in a tightly contested 5000m race with a time of 14:46.29, surpassing Beatrice Chebet (14:46.75) and her compatriot Dawit Seyaum (14:47.36).

In September 2022, Gudaf competed in two events at the Diamond League final in Zürich, placing third in the 5 kilometres road race and sixth in the 1500m.

She began her 2023 campaign strongly in February, running the indoor mile in Toruń, Poland. Gudaf narrowly missed the world record, but her time of 4:16.16 was the second-fastest ever at the time. In the same month, she came within just 0.09 seconds of Dibaba's world indoor 3000 metres record, clocking an impressive 8:16.69 at the World Indoor Tour final in Birmingham.

Gudaf enjoyed a strong start to her outdoor season by winning the 1500m at the Rabat Diamond League with a meeting record of 3:54.03. Later that year, in July, Gudaf competed at the London Diamond League, where she out-sprinted a strong field including Sifan Hassan, Beatrice Chebet, and Medina Eisa to win the 5000m, setting a new personal best of 14:12.29.

At the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Gudaf won the gold medal in the 10,000m after a dramatic finish where Sifan Hassan fell after making contact with Gudaf in the final 328 ft ^{(100 m)}. She also competed in the 5000m at the championships, finishing 13th in the final. At the final Diamond League Final in Eugene, Oregon, Gudaf set a new world record for the 5000m with an incredible time of 14:00.21, surpassing Faith Kipyegon's mark of 14:05.20 set earlier in the year.

2.4. Recent seasons and Olympic participation (2024)

Gudaf Tsegay continued to compete at an elite level in 2024, participating in major indoor and outdoor events, including the Paris Olympics.

Gudaf opened her 2024 season on February 4 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, winning the 1500m with a meeting record of 3:58.11. At the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Gudaf won a silver medal in the 3000m, being outrun by Elle St. Pierre in the final 164 ft ^{(50 m)}. She competed in her first outdoor race of the season on April 20 at the 2024 Xiamen Diamond League, where she ran a new personal best of 3:50.30 in the 1500m, placing her third on the all-time top lists for the event. On May 25, at the 2024 Prefontaine Classic, Gudaf attempted to break the 10,000m world record of 29:01.03 set by Letesenbet Gidey in 2021. However, she was closely followed by Kenyan athlete Beatrice Chebet, who surged with three laps remaining, ultimately setting a new world record of 28:54.14. Gudaf still finished with a personal best time of 29:05.92.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Gudaf attempted to compete in three events: the 1500m, 5000m, and 10,000m. On August 5, she finished ninth in the 5000m with a time of 14:45.21. This highly anticipated race featured a strong field including Beatrice Chebet, Faith Kipyegon, and Sifan Hassan. Chebet won gold in 14:28.56, with Kipyegon taking second in 14:29.60 and Hassan third in 14:30.61. During the race, Gudaf made contact with Kipyegon, leading to a temporary disqualification for Kipyegon, which was later rescinded, reinstating her silver medal. Next, Gudaf placed sixth in the 10,000m with a time of 30:45.21. She remained in the lead pack for most of the race but faded in the final 328 ft ^{(100 m)}, with Beatrice Chebet winning gold. Finally, Gudaf finished twelfth in the 1500m, having led the race until the last lap before being overtaken by the rest of the field.

2.5. Diamond League and circuit success

Gudaf Tsegay has consistently demonstrated her dominance on the international athletics circuit, particularly in the Diamond League and the World Athletics Indoor Tour. She was crowned the Diamond League 5000m champion in 2023. Her Diamond League victories include the 1500m at the 2018 Stockholm Bauhaus-galan (setting a meeting record and personal best), the 1500m at the 2023 Rabat Meeting International (world lead and meeting record), the 5000m at the 2023 London Anniversary Games (meeting record and personal best), and the record-breaking 5000m at the 2023 Eugene Prefontaine Classic (world record).

She has also been an overall winner of the World Athletics Indoor Tour 1500m title in both 2020 and 2022. Her indoor tour victories include the 1500m at the 2020 Toruń Copernicus Cup, Liévin Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais, and Villa de Madrid. In 2021, she won the 1500m in Liévin (setting a world record), and the 3000m in Villa de Madrid. In 2022, she won the mile in Liévin (world lead and meeting record), the 1500m in Toruń (world lead and meeting record), and the 1500m in Madrid (meeting record). Her 2023 indoor tour success included winning the mile in Toruń (world lead and meeting record), the 1500m in Liévin (world lead), and the 3000m at the Birmingham World Indoor Tour Final (world lead and meeting record).

3.1. Personal bests

Gudaf Tsegay holds several impressive personal bests, including two world records and multiple top-ranking times in history.

3.2. International competition results

Gudaf Tsegay has consistently medaled and performed at the highest level in major international championships.

3.3. Circuit and tour titles

Gudaf Tsegay has amassed several overall titles and individual wins in prestigious athletics circuits.

• Diamond League 5000 metres champion**: 2023
  • 2018: Stockholm Bauhaus-galan (1500m, meeting record, personal best)
  • 2023: Rabat Meeting International (1500m, world lead, meeting record), London Anniversary Games (5000m, meeting record, personal best), Eugene Prefontaine Classic (5000m, world record)
• World Athletics Indoor Tour 1500m overall winner**: 2020, 2022
  • 2020 (1500m): Toruń Copernicus Cup, Liévin Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais, Villa de Madrid
  • 2021: Liévin (1500m, world record), Villa de Madrid (3000m)
  • 2022: Liévin (Mile, world lead, meeting record), Toruń (1500m, world lead, meeting record), Madrid (1500m, meeting record)
  • 2023: Toruń (Mile, world lead, meeting record), Liévin (1500m, world lead), Birmingham World Indoor Tour Final (3000m, world lead, meeting record)
• Ethiopian Athletics Championships**:
  • 5000 metres: 2021

4.1. Status in athletics

As a current world record holder in both the outdoor 5000m and indoor 1500m, a multiple world champion, and an Olympic medalist, Gudaf Tsegay holds an elite status in the world of athletics. Her consistent presence on the podium at major championships underscores her position as one of the leading female middle and long-distance runners of her generation. She is recognized for her versatility across various distances, from 800m to 10,000m, both indoors and outdoors.

4.2. Contributions to middle and long-distance running

Gudaf Tsegay's record-breaking achievements and high-level performances have significantly contributed to the development and profile of middle and long-distance running globally. Her world records have pushed the boundaries of what is considered possible in these events, inspiring other athletes to strive for faster times. Her consistent competitive spirit and ability to perform under pressure in major finals have made races more exciting and have drawn greater attention to the sport. As an Ethiopian athlete, she continues the rich legacy of her country in endurance running, serving as an inspiration for aspiring athletes, particularly young women, in Ethiopia and worldwide, demonstrating the potential for success through dedication and hard work.