Degitu Azimeraw Asires (born 24 January 1999) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in marathon, half marathon, and track events. She is a silver medalist at the African Games and has achieved podium finishes in World Marathon Majors.
Career
Degitu Azimeraw began her international career as a teenager, winning the 2017 Tata Steel Kolkata 25K in her first international race with a course record of 1:26:01.[1] In 2018, she significantly improved her to 1:06:47 at the RAK Half Marathon and won the Gifu Half Marathon in Japan.[2]
In 2019, she further lowered her personal best to 1:06:07 at the RAK Half Marathon.[3] Representing Ethiopia, she won a silver medal in the women’s half marathon at the 2019 African Games in Rabat, Morocco, finishing in 1:10:31.[4] Later that year, in her marathon debut, she won the 2019 Amsterdam Marathon in a course record time of 2:19:26, which was the second fastest debut marathon time for a woman in history.[5][1]
In 2020, Azimeraw competed at the 2020 RAK Half Marathon, placing ninth with 1:07:02, and finished sixth at the 2020 Valencia Marathon in 2:19:56.[1] In 2021, she set a new personal best of 2:17:58 to finish second at the 2021 London Marathon, placing her 11th on the all-time list at the time.[1] She also won the 10K at the Nationale Nederlanden San Silvestre in Madrid with a time of 30:26.
After a period of time away for family in 2022-2023, Azimeraw returned to competition.[citation needed] In March 2024, she emerged victorious at the 2024 Barcelona Marathon, clocking 2:19:52 in her first marathon post-pregnancy, leading an Ethiopian podium sweep.[6] She competed at the 2025 Tokyo Marathon, finishing eighth with a time of 2:20:26.[7][8]
Achievements
| Year | Race | Place | Position | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Tata Steel Kolkata 25K | Kolkata | 1st | 1:26:01 (CR)[2] |
| 2018 | RAK Half Marathon | Ras Al Khaimah | 6th | 1:06:47 (WJR) |
| 2018 | Gifu Half Marathon | Gifu | 1st | 1:09:53 |
| 2019 | RAK Half Marathon | Ras Al Khaimah | 4th | 1:06:07 (PB)[3] |
| 2019 | 2019 African Games | Rabat | 2nd | 1:10:31[4] |
| 2019 | Amsterdam Marathon | Amsterdam | 1st | 2:19:26 (CR, PB)[5] |
| 2020 | RAK Half Marathon | Ras Al Khaimah | 9th | 1:07:02[1] |
| 2020 | Valencia Marathon | Valencia | 6th | 2:19:56[1] |
| 2021 | 2021 London Marathon | London | 2nd | 2:17:58 (PB)[1] |
| 2021 | Nationale Nederlanden San Silvestre Vallecana 10K | Madrid | 1st | 30:26[1] |
| 2024 | Barcelona Marathon | Barcelona | 1st | 2:19:52[6] |
| 2025 | 2025 Tokyo Marathon | Tokyo | 8th | 2:20:26[7] |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h “Degitu Azimeraw”. NN Running Team. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
- ^ a b “Defending women’s champion Degitu Azimeraw returns to TSK25K and faces two-time world champion Florence Kiplagat”. Athletics Illustrated. 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
- ^ a b “Degitu AZIMERAW”. World Athletics. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
- ^ a b “2019 African Games – Athletics – Results Book” (PDF). 2019 African Games. 2019-09-01. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-09-01. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
- ^ a b “Degitu Azimeraw Breaks Amsterdam Marathon Course Record With 2:19:26 On Her Debut”. Watch Athletics. 2019-10-20. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
- ^ a b “Azimeraw and Abraham triumph in Barcelona”. Athletics Africa. 2024-03-10. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
- ^ a b “Race Recap: 6 Thoughts on 2025 Tokyo Marathon”. LetsRun.com. 2025-03-01. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
- ^ “Tokyo Marathon 2025: All results and times – complete list”. Olympics.com. Retrieved 2025-05-31.