Selemon Barega’s running adventure and his driven pursuit of glory
The Ethiopian is happy to blaze an impressive trail forged by distance running legends Haile Gebresselasie and Kenenisa Bekele. He shared his track ambitions with Olympics.com and his plans to venture into the half marathon before Paris 2024
Selemon Barega takes huge inspiration from two of the all-time idols he is looking to emulate.
As an upcoming Ethiopian runner, Haile Gebreselassie and Kenenisa Bekele had a significant impact on his career. He grew up in awe of two of the most successful long-distance track athletics legends.
Barega loved watching their race videos. He still does. “I’m always watching their past videos from the Olympics and world championships,” he told Olympics.com on the eve of the 2022 World Athletics Championships.
Now, with a Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medal in his pocket, the 22-year-old wants to join the famed club of Ethiopia’s greatest distance runners.
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Barega: The Olympic champ who is still only a rising star
Put him on a running track or course and Barega will most likely deliver gold. He is only 22 and already ranked among the world’s best distance runners.
His impressive resume includes an Olympic gold at the men's 10,000m, world U18 and world U20 titles, gold from the 2022 world indoor champs, and the 2018 overall Diamond League title in the 5,000m after three race victories across the season.
Only one title has eluded him - a gold medal in the World Athletics Championships. His best before Oregon 2022 was the silver from Doha 2019 after a fifth place in London two years earlier.
He established himself as a rising star when he was only 16 winning the men's 5000m title at the 2016 U20 championships.
The Ethiopian star remembers how precious these moments were and how fortunate he was to have earned his slot in the highly competitive national teams.
“Every victory I have registered running for Ethiopia has a huge meaning for me,” said Barega, who raced for the first time internationally in 2016.
Outside a championship, his rapid rise peaked at the 2018 Diamond League in Brussels.
In one of his best runs ever over the 5000m, he lowered his personal best with a brilliant 12:43.02, that ranks him as the fifth fastest man of all time behind former world champions Joshua Cheptegei, Bekele, Gebrselassie, and Kenya’s Daniel Komen.
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The Tokyo Olympic gold euphoria
Despite all his remarkable achievements, Barega’s career is defined back home by his Olympic gold.
At Tokyo 2020 in 2021, he matched the excellence of his idols by winning the men’s 10,000m.
It made him the fourth Ethiopian to win the 10,000m title at the Olympics, after Bekele (2004, 2008), Gebrselassie (1996, 2000), and Miruts Yifter (1980).
“For every athlete, the dream is to win Olympic gold and when I achieved it... the feeling… the euphoria stayed with me. I can still feel it,” he recalled.
“The reaction from the public after the Olympics was amazing… wonderful. I received respect and love, which has kept me going and wanting to achieve even more in athletics.”
The recognition from his family ranks even higher.
It took years to earn their approval as a runner. Growing up in central Ethiopia alongside his seven siblings, there were no teenagers or adults training to be runners like in other parts of the country.
Most boys in his rural hometown of Gurage split their time ploughing their fertile family land and school.
Barega’s parents wanted him to focus on education and forget running.
“Previously my family was against me delving into athletics. But since they have seen the fruits, they have supported me. And over the years, many young people from my area started running because of me,” he said.
“Even closer home, my younger brother (Mikas) started training regularly and running. So, my success has had a huge impact on my family and youngsters in my home area.”
Great inspiration from Ethiopian legends
He found his passion for distance running in school, while watching two of the greatest track long-distance runners further flamed his ambition.
“They have had a huge impact on my running career. I really love Kenenisa’s powerful finish,” said the reigning 3000m world indoor champion about the five-time world champ whose burst of pace at the end of long-distance races characterised most of his triumphs.
“But I am closer to Haile now. He is always advising me and sharing running tips.”
The 2019 World Athletics male rising star is on the right path. He is working with one of Ethiopia's most decorated coaches Hussein Shibo, the man who helped shaped the careers of his two running heroes and also Derartu Tulu, the first Black African woman to win Olympic gold at Barcelona 1992.
There is still a lot he wants to achieve on track.
“I keep thinking about Paris 2024… as I want to try to defend my title there.”
After Oregon, we may see less of Barega on track as he aims to test his potential on the road. In 2019 he was one of the 41 elite pacesetters in Eliud Kipchoge’s successful attempt to break the two-hour mark for the marathon.
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“I may go try two half marathons, but I’ll be back on track in time for the Olympics,” Barega told us.
He will make his 21km run debut at the Great North Run in Newcastle on 11 September, where he will face the Ugandan duo of Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo.
Following the World Championships in Oregon, his list of things to do is still long.
The road race will offer the ambitious talent, widely tipped to become one of his nations greats, the chance to knock one of those goals off his targets.
Keep up with all the action in our Live Blog updates throughout Track & Field Worlds 2022, here.