Merima Mohammed

Her talent for running was identified at an early age and, having gained representation with Elite Sports Management International, she began to compete on the European road race circuit at the age of sixteen. She was runner-up over 1500 metres at the 2009 Ethiopian Middle Distance Championships in January.Negash, Elshadai (2009-01-12). [http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=48899.html Lemiso's comeback highlights Ethiopian Short and Middle Distance Champs]. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-06-06. She was selected to represent her country over that distance at the 2009 World Youth Championships in Athletics in July, but a trip in the final lap saw her go from the front of the pack to a twelfth-place finish.Martin, David (2009-07-11). [http://www.iaaf.org/WYC09/news/newsid=51944.html Double gold medal celebration for Sweden and Great Britain in Bressanone – Day Four – Evening report]. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-06-06. She took on significantly longer distances soon after, winning a French 10K race and then coming fifth in the Lille Half Marathon in September.[http://www.esmintl.com/athleteDetails.asp?id=159 Merima Mohammed] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724205857/http://www.esmintl.com/athleteDetails.asp?id=159 |date=2011-07-24 }}. ESMI. Retrieved on 2011-06-06. She made her debut over the marathon distance in November that year and won on her first attempt, being the first runner home at the Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes in a time of 2:33:56 hours.[http://marathoninfo.free.fr/athletes/ethiopie/mohammed_merima.htm Merima Mohammed]. Marathon Info. Retrieved on 2011-06-06.

Merima was chosen for the junior race at the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and came twelfth, one place behind fellow Ethiopian teenager Genzebe Dibaba.[http://www.iaaf.org/wxc10/results/eventCode=4393/sex=W/discCode=XJ/combCode=hash/roundCode=f/results.html#det Junior Race - W Final]. IAAF (2010-03-28). Retrieved on 2011-06-06. She ran at the Ethiopian Championships in May and set a personal best of 34:10.19 minutes for the 10,000 metres, coming in sixth place.[http://www.iaaf.org/statistics/toplists/inout=o/age=j/season=2010/sex=W/all=n/legal=A/disc=10K/detail.html 2010 Junior Women's 10,000 Metres]. IAAF (2010). Retrieved on 2011-06-06. Her second marathon win came soon after, as she defeated all opposition at the Ottawa Marathon.[http://www.iaaf.org/LRR10/news/newsid=56902.html Men's course record falls in Ottawa]. IAAF/Ottawa Marathon (2011-05-31). Retrieved on 2011-06-06. She spent four months resting and preparing for another outing in Canada. At the Toronto Waterfront Marathon she finished in third place in a time of 2:23:06 hours – this was faster than the previous Canadian all-comers mark and made her the second fastest teenager ever over the distance, behind China's Zhang Yingying.Robinson, Roger (September 2010). [http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=21001 Roger on Running: Marathon Season in Ontario]. Running Times. Retrieved on 2011-06-06.Gains, Paul (2010-09-26). [http://www.iaaf.org/LRR10/news/newsid=58390.html Mungara and Cherop take Toronto Marathon titles as Canadian All-Comers records tumble]. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-06-06. Representing the Federal Prisons team, she participated in the Ethiopian 30K Championships in November and outran Mamitu Daska to claim the national title.Negash, Elshadai (2010-11-01). [http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=58629.html Mohammed and Bekele take Ethiopian 30km titles]. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-06-06. At the Delhi Half Marathon that month she led throughout to the race, but was beaten at the line by Aselefech Mergia in a tactical sprint finish. Nevertheless, she left the competition with a significant personal best of 1:08:36 hours for the distance.Krishnan, Ram. Murali (2010-11-21). [http://www.iaaf.org/LRR10/news/newsid=58774.html Mergia recaptures women's crown, Mutai foils Ethiopian sweep at Delhi Half Marathon]. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-06-06.

The 2011 Mumbai Marathon turned into a late race duel between Merima and her national rival Koren Jelila Yal. The winning time was the fastest ever in India, but it was Yal who won the race while Merima finished a single second behind with a final time of 2:26:57 hours.Krishnan, Ram. Murali (2011-01-16). [http://www.iaaf.org/LRR11/news/newsid=59063.html Assefa and Yal take down course records in Mumbai]. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-06-06. She decided to compete in the senior section of the Ethiopian cross country championships and her sixth-place finish gained her a place on the team for the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships,Negash, Elshadai (2011-02-21). [http://www.iaaf.org/WXC11/news/kind=100/newsid=59365.html Melkamu, Mesfin dominate Ethiopian trials for Punta Umbria]. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-06-06. where she came fifteenth. She was invited to run at the 2011 Boston Marathon but travel problems prevented her appearance. Still 18 years old, she took her third victory and her fourth marathon under the two-and-a-half-hour mark at the Düsseldorf Marathon in May. She quickly built up a lead that she did not relinquish, although hot temperatures slowed her in the latter half of the race: "I am used to cooler conditions because I train at an altitude of around 2000 metres".Wenig, Jorg (2011-05-09). [http://www.iaaf.org/LRR11/news/newsid=59964.html Kimaiyo and Mohammed beat the heat at Dusseldorf Marathon]. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-06-06. She was back in action a month later at the World 10K Bangalore, but she was pushed into the runner-up spot in the final metres by an Ethiopian rival yet again in India, this time by Dire Tune.Krishnan, Ram. Murali (2011-06-05). [http://www.iaaf.org/LRR11/news/newsid=60242.html Limo and Tune prevail in Bangalore 10Km]. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-06-06. At the 2011 Frankfurt Marathon she began the race with quick pace, but despite holding the lead for much of the early stages she slowed down and finished in fourth place overall.Butcher, Pat (2012-10-30). [http://www.iaaf.org/LRR11/news/newsid=62813.html Kipsang tantalises with 2:03:42 World record assault in Frankfurt]. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-02-19.

In her first race of 2012, she was third at the Xiamen Marathon.Jalava, Mirko (2012-01-07). [http://www.iaaf.org/LRR11/news/newsid=63297.html Kamais and Kasim cruise to Xiamen wins]. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-01-08. She was among the favourites for the Rotterdam Marathon that April, but finished in third place almost seven minutes behind the winner, Tiki Gelana.van Hemert, Wim (2012-04-15). [http://www.iaaf.org/Mini/LRR12/News/NewsDetail.aspx?id=64586 Spectacular double Ethiopian success brings home 2:04 and 2:18 victories in Rotterdam]. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-04-22. She ran at the 2012 Chicago Marathon but despite being among the leading pack at the halfway mark, she dropped out in the latter stages. At the 2012 African Championships in Athletics she ran a 10,000 metres best of 33:09.25 minutes for fourth, and took the same placing at the Shanghai Marathon.

She had the second-fastest outing of her career at the 2013 Houston Marathon, taking the women's title in a time of 2:23:37 hours.[http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/youth-trumps-weather-in-houston-as-ethiopians Youth trumps weather in Houston as Ethiopians take clean sweep of titles]. IAAF (2013-01-13). Retrieved on 2013-02-18. She was faster still (2:23:14) at the Paris Marathon, where she was runner-up to Feyse Tadese.Vazel, Pierre-Jean (2013-04-07). [http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/tadese-breaks-course-record-in-paris-as-some Tadese breaks course record in Paris as Some smashes PB]. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-04-07.

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Category:Living people

Category:1992 births

Category:Ethiopian female long-distance runners

Category:Ethiopian female marathon runners

Category:21st-century Ethiopian sportswomen