Meseret Defar and Kenenisa Bekele may be the two most famous former World youth medallists to graduate to senior World or Olympic champions, but if fellow Ethiopian national 3000m champion Mahlet Melese had it her way, the 5th IAAF World Youth Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic should be the start of what she hopes to be a partial or full replica of Defar’s career path.
“I admire Meseret a lot,” says the Addis Ababa-born runner. “She showed that city girls and boys are not lazy runners and can compete as well as runners from rural parts of the country. She inspires me a lot to achieve greater things.”
There are many similarities between the two petite runners from Ethiopia. Like Defar, Melese was born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s metropolitan capital better known for producing the country’s educated middle class than running sensations. And just as Defar did eight years ago, Melese will run in Ethiopian colours for the first time in the 3000m race at the World Youth Championships.
“It is nice to be compared with Meseret,” says Melese. “But it is not fair to me because she has achieved a lot and I have done very little so far.”
With respect to the domestic running scene, Melese’s achievements are anything, but little. Although only mid-way through her first full track season, Melese is already the Addis Municipal and the Ethiopian national champion over the 3000m. She has also run 15.33 for the 5000m outdoors in Barcelona this track season confirming her status as one of the favourites for gold in Ostrava along with compatriot Sule Utura.
“I am preparing well for Ostrava with the rest of the team,” she says. “Hopefully I will get a good result.”
Sporting background
Like Defar, Melese was also born into a family that depended on the wages of a single parent for survival. Unlike the recently-minted World 5000m record holder, however, she has always enjoyed the support of her extended family.
“My uncle, although I consider him as a brother, was a football player and he actively encouraged me to get into sports,” she said. “He is very happy that I have come this far. Any success I obtain through running is also due to the support of my grandfather who has never shown me a long face in his life and has always supported me.”
Her running beginning is also very unusual. “A friend of mine in elementary school wanted me to watch her train for the school team one day,” she says. “One day, she took me to the sports teacher and asked him if I can compete in a school race. I entered and won a 100m race.”
Motivated by victory, Melese took up running full-time and even joined hundreds of other hopefuls every Sunday in a training session at the Meskel Square, an amphitheatre-styled public square at the heart of Addis Ababa.
“After winning that 100m in school, I got to know other students who trained seriously,” she said. “I would join them in training on Sundays and in the morning.”
She then competed for two second-tier teams in 2004/5, but joined the Rental Houses Administration Sports Club after winning the 1500m title in the Ethiopian short and middle distance championships in January 2006. The move coincided with her first salary of just under USD 50, a reasonable income for a 15-year old.
“I had many cravings and do not remember how I spent the money,” she says. “It might not seem like much money, but it was an honour for me to earn something.”
Impressive results
It did not take much time for her to settle in her new club and produce an impressive string of domestic results. She ran a 1500m/3000m at the 2006 Addis Ababa Municipal championships winning the former and finishing third in the later. A month later, she finished an encouraging sixth over the 1500m at the Ethiopian national championships, but bounced back to winning form when winning the 3000m at the 2006 Pan African meeting in Addis Ababa in May.
Her impressive collection of domestic performances handed her a chance to compete outside Ethiopia for the first time in Khartoum where she finished third over the 1500m at the Pan African meeting in the Sudanese capital. She ended the year with a fourth place finish over the 1500m at the Zone 5 ANOCA Games in Nairobi.
“I am happy about these results,” she says. “I think it is great to compete against your seniors and win. I am encouraged to do well in the future.”
Elshadai Negash for the IAAF
