 Feyisa at the 2015 Berlin Marathon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | Ethiopian | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1 February 1990 Jeldu, Ethiopia | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event | Long-distance running
Chicago Marathon: 2:04:52 (2012)
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Medal record
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Feyisa Lilesa (Afaan Oromo: Fayyisaa Leellisaa; born 1 February 1990) is an Oromo long-distance runner from Ethiopia.[1] He became the youngest man to run under 2:06 when he ran 2:05:23 in the men's marathon at the 2010 Rotterdam Marathon.[2] He set his personal best of 2:04:52 in the marathon when he came in second place at the 2012 Chicago Marathon.[3]
He won the Dublin Marathon in 2009 in his debut race and won the Xiamen International Marathon in 2010. He was the bronze medalist at the 2011 World Championships marathon and the silver medalist in the 2016 Rio Olympics marathon. On the final day of the 2016 Rio Olympics (21 August), as he was crossing the finish line of the Men's Marathon and winning his silver medal, he raised his arms in a gesture of solidarity with protestors against the killing of the Oromo people in his native Ethiopia. Citing fear for his life if he returned to Ethiopia, he said in a press conference following the race that he would, "try and move to another country."[1] One of the countries he mentioned was the U.S. and the State Department was asked about this possibility.[4]
After the resignation of Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in March 2018, his successor Abiy Ahmed encouraged Feyisa to return home to his country in October 2018, ending his two-year exile.[5]
- ^ a b "Ethiopia 'hero' runner gets asylum donations after Oromo protest sign". BBC News. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
- ^ "Merga and Lilesa join Chicago men's field". IAAF. 1 October 2010. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
- ^ "Marathon – men – senior – outdoor". IAAF. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ "U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPEAKS ABOUT FEYISA – SiiTube.com – BREAKING #Oromo and #Ethiopia News and Music Video". Archived from the original on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ^ "Ethiopian Olympic protest runner Feyisa Lilesa finally rewarded". BBC News. Retrieved 12 June 2019.