Bekana Daba and Asselefech Mergia were impressive winners of 5000m in the athletics action of the first ever All-Ethiopian Games (11-25 March 2007) which kicked off in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Sunday (11).
On the opening day’s action of the athletics events, Daba, whose only recognized result was a top five finish in the 2006 Addis Ababa Municipal Cross Country Championships, put in a big effort to defeat Ali Abdosh, fifth in the short race at the 2006 world cross country championships in Fukuoka, Japan. The Addis Ababa administrative region runner clocked 14:14.24, forty-seven hundredths of a second ahead of Abdosh with Dino Sefer, winner of the 3000m race in last year’s Pan African meet in Addis Ababa third.
In the women’s 5000m held on Tuesday (13th), Asselefech Mergia bounced back from missing out on Ethiopia’s team for the 35th IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombassa, Kenya with a surprise victory over Werkitu Ayanu, who is the 2006 Ethiopian junior cross country champion and has a personal best of 14:52.28 over the distance. Mergia, who had finished sixth at the world cross trials two weeks ago, took victory in 16:31.16, more than a second ahead of Ayanu with Rehima Kedir, winner of the 2006 Confidence Women First 5km run in Addis Ababa finished third.
Elshadai Negash for the IAAF
1st All-Ethiopian Games Results
Day I- March 12th 2007
Men’s 5000m
1. Bekana Daba (Addis Ababa) 14:14.24
2. Ali Abdosh (Harari) 14:15.11
3. Dino Sefer (SNNPs) 14:15.59
Women’s Discus
1. Mersit Gebregziabher (Addis Ababa) 33.80m
2. Selamawit Gizaw (Addis Ababa) 30.92m
3. Frehiwot Kebede (Oromiya) 30.61m
Men’s Discus
1. Tesfaye Tilahun (SNNPs) 36.20m
2. Bisrat Woldecherkose (Addis Ababa) 35.60m
3. Bekele Gebre (Addis Ababa) 35.18m
Women’s High Jump
1. Haymanot Bekele (Addis Ababa) 1.45m
2. Aneni Markos (Oromiya) 1.40m
3. Haregewoin Mengistu (Addis Ababa) 1.40m
Day II- March 13th 2007
Men’s 400m Hurdles
1. Feleke Degela (SNNPs) 52.51
2. Solomon Tesfaye (Addis Ababa) 54.26
3. Worku Dibaba (Addis Ababa) 55.21
Women’s Triple Jump
1. Zeyneba Zeynu (Addis Ababa) 11.03m
2. Tigist Belachew (Oromiya) 10.95m
3. Semegne Mekonnen (Oromiya) 10.74m
Men’s Triple Jump
1. Galwak Galkot (Addis Ababa) 14.82m
2. Wondwossen Woldetensay (Addis Ababa) 14.13m
3. Solomon Benta (Addis Ababa) 14.12m
Men’s 800m
1. Derba Degefu (Oromiya) 1:49.39
2. Henok Legesse (Oromiya) 1:49.78
3. Eshetu Zewde (Addis Ababa) 1:50.03
Women’s 800m
1. Meskerem Assefa (Oromiya) 2:05.84
2. Yemechawork Ghion (Addis Ababa) 2:07.05
3. Aynalem Abera (Oromiya) 2:08.73
Women’s 400m hurdles
1. Tigist Getnet (Addis Ababa) 1:04.07
2. Weyni Wolde (SNNPs) 1:05.01
3. Aneni Markos (Oromiya) 1:06.16
Women’s 5000m
1. Asselefech Mergia (Oromiya) 16:31.16
2. Werkitu Ayanu (Addis Ababa) 16:32.76
3. Rehima Kedir (Oromiya) 16:33.76
