An Ethiopian-born Turkish long-distance runner, known for her impressive track and cross-country performances, including multiple World Championship medals and European records.
Elvan Abeylegesse, a Turkish middle and long-distance running athlete, is best known for her remarkable achievements in the track and field world, including holding the former world record for the 5000 meters with a stunning time of 14:24.68 minutes.
Abeylegesse was born Hewan Abeye on September 11, 1982, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she grew up with her seven siblings. She began her running career in cross-country, representing the Ethiopian junior team at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1999.
After meeting with a Turkish national, she decided to move to Turkey, became a Turkish citizen, and took the name Elvan Can. Later, she divorced and took the name Elvan Abeylegesse. She joined the Enka Sports Club in Istanbul, where she was coached by Ertan Hatipoglu, a former triple jumper of Turkish origin from Bulgaria.
Abeylegesse's international career took off at the age of 18 in Grosseto, Italy, where she won the European 3000m and 5000m titles, setting a national record for Turkey. She continued to excel, becoming a world leader with a time of 8:31.94 in the 3000m in Brussels, Belgium in 2002, and with a time of 3:58.38 in the 1500m in Moscow, Russia in 2003.
In 2007, she finished second in the 10,000m at the World Championships in Osaka, Japan, and second in the 5000m at the Worlds in Berlin, Germany in 2009.
In August 2015, the Turkish Athletics Federation announced that an anti-doping test taken during the 2007 World Championships in Athletics had been retested and found to be positive for a controlled substance. Abeylegesse was temporarily suspended pending retesting of her B-sample.
On March 29, 2017, the IAAF confirmed the positive test, expunged her results from August 25, 2007, to August 25, 2009, thereby stripping her of the two silver medals she had won at the 2008 Olympic Games. She was banned from athletics for two years.
After serving her two-year ban, Abeylegesse returned to competitive running, focusing on the marathon distance. She won the 2019 Istanbul Marathon with a personal best time of 2:29:30 hours.
Despite the doping scandal, Abeylegesse's impressive career and achievements have left a lasting impact on the world of track and field. Her dedication and perseverance serve as an inspiration to aspiring athletes, and her legacy continues to be felt in the Turkish athletic community.
With her remarkable speed, endurance, and determination, Elvan Abeylegesse will always be remembered as one of the greatest Turkish running sensations of all time.
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Elite long-distance runner and Olympic medalist, known for her impressive performances in the 5000m and 10,000m events, as well as her advocacy for clean sport and women's rights.
