 Erkesso on the way to winning the 2010 Boston Marathon near halfway point | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's athletics | ||
Representing  Ethiopia
| ||
| IAAF World Cross Country Championships | ||
 |
2004 Brussels | Short race |
Teyba Erkesso Wako (born 30 October 1982 in Arsi) is an Ethiopian runner who specializes in road running (including the half marathon and marathon) as well as cross-country running.
She began running for Ethiopia internationally at the age of sixteen and won her first gold medal at the 2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, helping the Ethiopian women to a team victory. She formed a key part of Ethiopian team competitions in her early career, helping them reach the podium at international events on numerous occasions. Her first individual medal came at the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, where she won the bronze medal in the short race.
It was in road running competitions where she made her name. She won the Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale at the age of 21 but only switched her focus to road running in 2007. After a fourth-place finish at the 2009 Chicago Marathon, she set a state record of 2:23:53 at the Houston Marathon (a personal best). She won her first major events in 2010, placing first in the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon and then the Boston Marathon. She is perhaps known for pushing the pace during the middle of the race, as she did in Boston and Houston to break away.