Samuel Fitwi Sibhatu
{{short description|German long-distance runner (born 1996)}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Samuel Fitwi Sibhatu
| fullname =
| image = File:2022-08-21 European Championships 2022 – Men's 10,000 Metres by Sandro Halank–103.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Fitwi Sibhatu at the 2022 European Championships for the 10,000 Meters race
| nationality = German
| residence =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1996|01|01|df=y}}
| birth_place = Eritrea
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height =
| weight =
| sport = Athletics
| event = Long-distance running
| collegeteam =
| club =
| pb = {{ubl
|Marathon: NR 2:04:56 Valencia 2024)
}}
| medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Sport|Men's athletics}}
{{Medal|Country|{{flag|Germany}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|European Championships}}
{{Medal|Bronze|2024 Rome|Half Marathon team}}
}}
Samuel Fitwi Sibhatu (born 1 January 1996) is a German marathon runner. He won a bronze medal at the 2024 European Athletics Championships and ran at the 2024 Summer Olympics.{{cite web|title= Samuel Fitwi Sibhatu|website=World Athletics|accessdate=10 August 2024|url= https://worldathletics.org/athletes/germany/samuel-fitwi-sibhatu-14773664}}
Early life
At the age of 17, Sibhatu fled his home country of Eritrea with a group of four peers to Cologne to escape the military regime . After his escape, he was taken in by a family in Stadtkyll, Rhineland-Palatinate.{{cite web|first=Hannah|last=Altschuk|title=Suddenly an Olympic hero – runner between two worlds (= SWR Portrait. No. 22)|website=Südwestrundfunk|url= https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/Y3JpZDovL3N3ci5kZS9hZXgvbzIwODk2MDk|date=1 August 2024|accessdate=10 August 2024}}
Career
In August 2022, Sibhatu competed in the 10,000 meters at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich, where he finished in ninth place with a new personal best time of 28:03.92 minutes.{{cite web|url= https://www.hdsports.de/leichtathletik/leichtathletik-em-ergebnisse-10-000-meter-italiener-triumphiert-vor-ueberraschungsmann|website=hdsports|accessdate=10 August 2024|title= EUROPEAN ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS - RESULTS 10,000 METRES: ITALIAN TRIUMPHS AHEAD OF SURPRISE MAN|date=22 August 2022}}
In 2023, Sibhatu achieved a personal best time of 2:08:28 hours at the Berlin Marathon, this also placed him in fourth place on the German all-time list.{{cite web|url= https://www.lvrheinland.de/news/single-view?tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=8803&cHash=aa523dc810a3d61659cb978230cbbfb6|website=lvrheinland|accessdate=10 August 2024|title= Samuel Fitwi: Marathon in record time|date=26 September 2023}}
On January 7, 2024, Sibhatu set a new best time of 2:06:27 in finishing fifth in the Dubai Marathon, that time met the qualifying standard for the 2024 Olympic Games.{{cite web|url= https://www.watchathletics.com/page/4938/results-dubai-marathon-2024|website=Watch Athletics|accessdate=10 August 2024|title= Results - Dubai Marathon 2024|date=7 January 2024}}
He won a bronze medal at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in the Men's half marathon team event. In the individual race he placed fifth.{{cite web|url= https://www.european-athletics.com/news/crippa-and-riva-land-another-italian-1-2-in-roma-2024|website=European Athletics|accessdate=10 August 2024|title= Crippa and Riva land another Italian 1-2 in Roma 2024|date=9 June 2024}}
He competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Personal life
In 2018, he obtained German citizenship.{{cite web|url= https://www.volksfreund.de/sport/laufen/auf-dem-laufenden/lauftalent-samuel-fitwi-sibhatu-erhaelt-deutschen-pass_aid-7021662|first= Mario |last=Hübner|title=Menschen: Ein Lauftalent aus Eritrea mischt die Szene in der Region Trier auf|website= volksfreund.de|date=8 January 2018|accessdate=10 August 2024}}
References
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Category:German male long-distance runners
Category:Olympic male long-distance runners
Category:Olympic athletes for Germany
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics