Elvan Abeylegesse

Elvan Abeylegesse (also formerly: Hewan Abeye (Amharic) and Elvan Can (Turkish)) (born September 11, 1982) is an Ethiopian-born Turkish woman middle and long distance track and field athlete, running in the disciplines 1500m, 3000m and 5000m, but also 10000m, 2 miles and cross country, ranking world 7th. She is holding the world record at 5000m.

Related Topics:
Amharic - Turkish - September 11 - 1982 - Middle - Long distance track and field - Athlete - 1500m - 3000m - 5000m - 10000m - 2 miles - Cross country

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

She was born as Hewan Abeye on September 11, 1982 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and raised with her seven brothers and sisters. She began her career in running cross country. In 1999, Hewan started for the Ethiopian junior team at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Belfast, Northern Ireland and finished 9th. There, she was invited for a meeting in Istanbul, Turkey. Came in Istanbul, she liked it there very much. "I didn't get enough support from my federation in Ethiopia," she said. "My track club in Turkey gave me all the support I needed. So I decided to move to Turkey. The support was much better in Istanbul. I thought it would be easier to reach my goals in Turkey.? To get Turkish citizenship, she married and became Elvan Can. Meanwhile, she is divorced again and called as Elvan Abeylegesse.

Related Topics:
September 11 - 1982 - Addis Ababa - Ethiopia - 1999 - IAAF - Belfast - Northern Ireland - Istanbul - Turkey - Citizenship

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

?As a youngster, my heroes were Ethiopian runners. I was following the victories of Gete Wami particularly?, Elvan told. ?I studied all their actions: how they slept, how they ate, how they trained, and how they competed.? Registered in the Enka Sports Club in Istanbul, she is coached by Ertan Hatipoglu, a Turkish-origin former triple jumper from Bulgaria. She has still a friendly relationship with the other Ethiopian runners, but there is a problem with her former federation. ?The officials don?t allow me to train in Ethiopia any longer?, Elvan Abeylegesse says. ?I train now at high altitudes in Turkey as I think that some of my former compatriots see me as a threat. They are uncomfortable with me training in Ethiopia. But I, of course, remain friends with the individual Ethiopian runners.? Luxuries seem to be part of her, but she is still emotionally attached to her home country. She is definitely not a hero in Ethiopian athletics. Her 'defection' has remained an anomaly in the eyes of many Ethiopian athletic fans.

Related Topics:
Gete Wami - Triple jump - Bulgaria - Defection

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Personal best time:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

World records:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~