Tsegai Tewelde
{{short description|Eritrean-born British distance runner (born 1989)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
Tsegai Tewelde (born 8 December 1989){{cite web|title=Athlete Profile Tsegai Tewelde|url=http://www.thepowerof10.info/athletes/profile.aspx?athleteid=75728|website=thepowerof10.info|publisher=British Athletics|accessdate=9 May 2016}} is an Eritrean-born British distance runner, who competed in the marathon at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Personal life
Tewelde was born in Eritrea on 8 December 1989. At the age of eight, he was injured in a land mine explosion that killed a friend of his, leaving him with a scar on his forehead after he was hit by shrapnel.{{cite news|last1=Lewis|first1=Jane|title=Rio 2016: Tsegai Tewelde living Olympic dream after London Marathon|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/36144845|accessdate=9 May 2016|work=BBC Sport|date=26 April 2016}}{{cite news|last1=Gillon|first1=Doug|title=The world-class talent Scotland left abandoned and ignored|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/13105349.The_world_class_talent_Scotland_left_abandoned_and_ignored/|accessdate=9 May 2016|work=The Herald|date=18 May 2013}}
In 2008, he and six other members of the Eritrean team sought political asylum in the United Kingdom following the World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh. The athletes feared they would be tortured or face military service for failing to finish higher in the event.{{cite news|last1=Gordon|first1=Moira|title=Scottish marathon runner Tsegai Tewelde escapes tragic past|url=http://www.scotsman.com/sport/athletics/scottish-marathon-runner-tsegai-tewelde-escapes-tragic-past-1-4111901|accessdate=9 May 2016|work=The Scotsman}} He was granted a British passport in the autumn of 2015.{{cite news|last1=Gillon|first1=Doug|title=Marathon hero: I risked my life to visit sick mother in Eritrea|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/other_sports/14453611.Marathon_hero__I_risked_my_life_to_visit_sick_mother_in_Eritrea/|accessdate=9 May 2016|work=The Herald|date=26 April 2016}}
Athletics
Tewelde competed at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics in the 1500 metres, finishing fifth in a time of 3 minutes 42.10 seconds and setting a national junior record.{{cite news|title=Fearing for their lives, six Eritrean athletes absconded while in Scotland – and found a new home with a Glasgow running club|url=http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/fearing-for-their-lives-six-eritrean-athletes-absconded-while-in-scotland-and-found-a-new-home-with-a-glasgow-running-club-1-784191|accessdate=9 May 2016|work=The Scotsman|date=30 December 2009}} In 2007 he placed 17th in the junior's race at the World Cross Country Championships.{{cite web|title=Tsegai Tewelde Athlete Profile|url=http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/great-britain-ni/tsegai-tewelde-227111|publisher=IAAF|accessdate=9 May 2016}}
At the 2008 World Championships he finished 19th in the junior's race in a time of 23 minutes and 48 seconds. Following this race he applied for asylum in the UK. He later joined Shettleston Harriers athletics club, he return home after becoming British and trained hard for his london marathon
In 2015 he finished Great Scottish Run in a time of 1 hour 3 minutes and 34 seconds, taking fourth place overall and the silver medal for Scottish athletes.{{cite web|title=Brilliant Callum now ready for marathon|url=http://www.scottishathletics.org.uk/brilliant-callum-now-ready-for-marathon/|publisher=Scottish Athletics|accessdate=9 May 2016|date=5 October 2015}}
At the 2016 London Marathon, competing over the distance for the first time, Tewelde finished twelfth overall, and was the second British-qualified athlete to finish, in a time of 2 hours 12 minutes and 57 seconds. This time was inside the qualifying time of 2 hours 14 minutes needed to earn him a place in the Great Britain team for the 2016 Summer Olympics to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.{{cite news|last1=Ingle|first1=Sean|title=London Marathon: Tsegai Tewelde and Callum Hawkins make British Olympic team|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/apr/24/london-marathon-tsegay-tewelde-callum-hawkins-british-olympic-team|accessdate=9 May 2016|work=The Guardian|date=24 April 2016}}{{cite news|title=London Marathon: Callum Hawkins and Tsegai Tewelde seal Rio places|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/36124436|accessdate=9 May 2016|work=BBC Sport|date=24 April 2016}} He did not finish (DNF) in the men's marathon, while fellow British athletes, brothers Callum and Derek Hawkins finished 9th and 114th respectively.
Personal Bests
| class="wikitable" | |||
| Distance
! Mark ! Date ! Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,500 metres | 3:42.10 | 2006 | Beijing |
| 5,000 metres | 14:23.63 | 2009 | Dunfermline |
| 10K Run | 29:24 | 2009 | Sunderland |
| Half Marathon | 1:03:18 | 2017 | Glasgow |
| Marathon | 2:12:23 | 2016 | London |
References
{{reflist|30em}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tewelde, Tsegai}}
Category:British male long-distance runners
Category:Eritrean male long-distance runners
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Category:Eritrean emigrants to Scotland
Category:Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain
Category:Eritrean male marathon runners
Category:British male cross country runners
Category:Eritrean male cross country runners
Category:Scottish male long-distance runners
Category:Scottish male marathon runners
Category:British male marathon runners