Wikipedia

Girmaw Amare

Girmaw Amare (Amharic: ግርማው አማረ; Hebrew: גירמה אמרה; born 26 October 1987) is an Olympic runner who competes in the 10,000 m, half marathon, marathon, and half marathon team event.[2][3] Born in Ethiopia, he represented Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics. In 2022, Amare won a team gold medal in the 2022 European Marathon Cup at the 2022 European Athletics Championships. In 2023 at the Valencia Marathon, Amare ran a personal best 2:05:52. Amare represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the Men's marathon, and came in 44th.

Girmaw Amare
Amare in 2016
Personal information
Native nameግርማው አማረ
גירמה אמרה‎
CitizenshipEthiopian (former), Israeli (current)
Born (1987-10-26) 26 October 1987 (age 37)
West Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia
Height1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Weight60 kg (132 lb)
Sport
CountryIsrael
SportRunning
Event(s)10,000 m, half marathon, marathon, and half marathon team event
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)Marathon: 2:05:52 (Valencia) (2023)
Half marathon: 1:02:00 (Berlin) 2022

Early and personal life

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Amare was born in West Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia, and is Jewish. He was born to an Ethiopian-Jewish family, and grew up in a village that had neither electricity nor running water.[4][5] He immigrated to Israel with his family in 2006, at 19 years of age.[4] He attended Wingate Institute.[6] He is married, and has a daughter named Adi.[4]

Amare said: "Ethiopians are used to their runners leaving because they have been bought by other countries who want them to run under another flag. But I proudly tell people that I left because I wanted to go to Israel. We left because we are Jews. It is such a feeling of pride to wave our flag, and to show the world that we can achieve great things.”[4]

Running career

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2016–19; national championships

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In June 2016 Amare ran in the 5,000 metres Israeli Championships, with a time of 14:02.67, winning a bronze medal.[7]

In January 2017 Amare won a silver medal in the 40th Sea of Galilee Tiberias International Marathon with a time of 2:17:20.[7]

In August 2017 he represented Israel at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics, coming in 63rd in the marathon with a time of 2:26:37.[8][9][10]

In January 2018 Amare won the 41st Sea of Galilee Tiberias International Marathon with a time of 2:15.30, the sixth-best time ever by an Israeli, and won the Israeli national championship.[11][12]

In February 2018, he won the Israeli 15 km Challenge in Rishon Letzion, Israel, with a time of 44:55.[2]

In March 2018 Amare competed at the 2018 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, coming in 10th in the Men's Half Marathon Team Event and 52nd in the Men's Half Marathon with a time of 1:03:19.[3]

In July 2018 he won the 5,000 metres Israeli Championships with a time of 13:56.91.[7]

In December 2018, at the Valencia Marathon in Valencia, Spain, Amare ran a 2:12:37, setting a new Israeli record.[13]

In February 2019, he won the Israeli 15 km Championships in Rishon Letzion, Israel, with a time of 45:13.[2][7]

In May 2019 Amare came in eighth in the Prague Marathon with a time of 2:09:54, again setting a new Israeli record.[14][15][13]

2020–21; 2020 Olympics

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In February 2020 at the Seville Marathon in Seville, Spain, Amare ran a 2:07:28, coming in 11th place.[7]

In July 2020 at the 1,500 metres Israeli Championships, he ran a 3:52.06, winning a silver medal.[7]

In March 2021 at the Agmon Hahula Marathon in Israel, Amare ran a 2:07:50, winning a silver medal.[7] In April 2021 at the Israeli 10,000m Championships he ran a 28:21.27, winning a silver medal.[7]

Amare represented Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the marathon on August 8, 2021, in Hokkaido, Japan, coming in 28th with a time of 2:16:17.[16][17]

2022–present; European Marathon Cup gold medal

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In April 2022 at the Berlin Half Marathon in Berlin, Germany, Amare ran a personal best 1:02:00, coming in 13th.[7] That same month at the Israeli 10,000m Championships he ran a 28:24.93, winning a bronze medal.[7][17]

In August 2022, Amare won a team gold medal in the 2022 European Marathon Cup at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich, Germany, as he ran a 2:11:32.[18][19][20]

In December 2022 at the Tiberias Half Marathon he ran a 1:03:21, winning a bronze medal.[7]

In June 2023 Amare won the 5,000 metre Israeli League Cup with a time of 14:28.32.[7]

In December 2023 at the 2023 Valencia Marathon in Valencia, Spain Amare ran a personal best 2:05:52, coming in 13th.[7]

In June 2024, Maru Teferi (fourth place; 1:01:07—seven seconds behind the winner), Gashau Ayale (seventh place; 1:01:28), and Amare (ninth place; 1:01:39) secured Team Israel's second-place finish in the team half marathon event in the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, Italy.[21][22] A half marathon was run rather than a full marathon because of the proximity of the race to the Paris Olympics marathon.[22]

2024 Paris Olympics

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Amare represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the Men's marathon, beginning at the Hôtel de Ville and ending up at Les Invalides.[23] He ran it in a time of 2:12:51 (as Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia won in a time of 2:06:26), and came in 44th.[24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "AMARE Girmaw".
  2. ^ a b c "Girmaw AMARE | Profile". iaaf.org.
  3. ^ a b "Athletics - Girmaw Amare (Israel)". the-sports.org.
  4. ^ a b c d Adam Ross (7 March 2021). "Israel's Marathon Dream; As a boy in Ethiopia, Girmaw Amare dreamed that one day he would represent Israel as a runner in the Olympics. Now his dream is within reach".
  5. ^ "The Long Run Home," June 1, 2022.
  6. ^ "Athletes / AMARE Girmaw". universiade2013.sportresult.com.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Girmaw Amare | Profile". World Athletics.
  8. ^ ""IAAF World Championships; ATHLETES by EVENT and SEASON BEST"" (PDF).
  9. ^ Andrew Sherwood (6 August 2017). "Mixed fortunes for Israel's marathon runners". The Times of Israel.
  10. ^ Allon Sinai. "MINENKO CARRYING ISRAEL’S HOPES IN TRIPLE-JUMP FINAL," The Jerusalem Post.
  11. ^ Allon Sinai (8 January 2018). "Drama abounds in all aspects of Tiberias Marathon - Israel News". The Jerusalem Post.
  12. ^ "TEFERI SETS ISRAELI MARATHON RECORD AT EUROS, CHEMTAI LOSES MEDAL," The Jerusalem Post.
  13. ^ a b "Israel - national athletics records evolution - men - senior". run123.one.
  14. ^ "European Athletics - Athlete: Girmaw Amare". european-athletics.
  15. ^ "SALPETER SMASHES PRAGUE MARATHON COURSE RECORD WITH 2:19:46," IAAF.
  16. ^ "Gimraw Amare," Olympics.com.
  17. ^ a b "Marathon, Men". Olympedia.
  18. ^ "Athletics - Team Israel | European Championships". ec2022results.com.
  19. ^ "Athletics AMARE Girmaw - European Championships". ec2022results.com.
  20. ^ Rakovsky, Ido (16 August 2022). "Israel stuns Europe with poignant gold medal in team marathon in Munich". Haaretz.
  21. ^ "Crippa and Riva land another Italian 1-2 in Roma 2024," European Athletics, June 9, 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Israeli marathon team secures silver medal in European Athletics Championships; Maru Teferi, Gashau Ayale, and Girmaw Amare all finished in the top ten, securing the team's second-place finish behind Italy", Ynet, June 9, 2024
  23. ^ צוקר, יאיר (3 March 2024). "מקום שביעי לאיימרו עלמיה במרתון טוקיו, גירמה אמרה יהיה הנציג השלישי של ישראל בפריז". דבר העובדים בארץ ישראל.
  24. ^ "Men's Marathon Results," Olympics.com.
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