• Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet won Olympic gold in the women’s 5,000 meters

Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma takes silver in the women’s 800m final behind Great Britians Keely Hodgkinson. This marks Ethiopia’s second medal at the Paris Olympics, following the silver of Berihu Aregawi in 10,000m. Hodgkinson timed 1min 56.72 sec for victory, with Tsige Duguma claiming silver in 1:57.15 and a world champion Kenya’s Mary Moraa taking bronze (1:57.42).

This victory is the first Olympic silver for an Ethiopian woman in the 800 meters. The 23-year-old Tsige hit a personal best at her Olympic debut on the world’s biggest sporting stage in Paris 2024. “During the race, I was hesitating to lead, and at some point, I felt leg numbness. I was scared of falling out of the medal standings. But I was able to get behind, move to the right, and win the silver medal. This year is a joy for me. I thank God for showing me this,” she told sports journalist Bizuayehu Wagaw. Another Ethiopian, Worknesh Mesele, finished sixth with a time of 1:58.28, a significant achievement in the history of Ethiopia’s participation in the women’s 800 meters at the Olympics.

Born on February 23, 2001, in the Kamashi Zone of the Beneshangul-Gumz Region, Tsige Duguma first gained recognition by winning competitions at both the zonal and regional levels. She then joined the Tirunesh Dibaba Academy in Asela and later the Ethiopian Commercial Bank Club. Tsige was a silver medalist in the 200 meters at Algeria’s 2017 African Athletic Championships. In July 2023, she set a new personal best in the 800 meters with a time of 1:59.40 in Belgium. Earlier this year, she won gold at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow.

In another athletics event held a few minutes earlier, Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet won Olympic gold in the women’s 5,000 meters with a time of 14:28.56, finishing ahead of compatriot Faith Kipyegon. Kipyegon, initially disqualified for obstruction during a clash with Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay was later reinstated. Ethiopian world record holder Gudaf Tsegay, seen grimacing, eventually finished ninth, while her compatriot Ejigayehu Taye finished fifth with a time of 14:32.98. Ethiopian-born Dutch runner Sifan Hassan, who was upgraded to second, ultimately took bronze with a time of 14:30.61. Italian Nadia Batocletti also experienced an emotional rollercoaster. Initially third after Kipyegon’s disqualification, the European 5,000m champion ultimately lost her podium spot when the Kenyan was reinstated. The Ethiopian team’s performance was disappointing. Trainer Tolera Dinka lamented that the athletes’ performance was below expectations, highlighting issues with efficiency and weaknesses in their execution.