Ethiopia
2022
Ten medals, second in the world, both marathons won with championship records that still stand — Ethiopia's finest Worlds, told from Eugene.
Ethiopia won ten medals at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene — four gold, four silver, two bronze — finishing second in the medal table behind only the USA and equalling its best-ever Worlds haul.
This is the Ethiopian 2022 season told through Eugene: the back-to-back marathon golds whose championship records still stand, Gidey and Tsegay on the track, the steeplechase two-three, and the Ethiopia Pro Elite 2022 kit.
Part of our Season Series — one year at a time. The full national story is in The History of Athletics in Ethiopia. Jump to the 2022 kit or browse the collection.
- Championships
- Worlds, Eugene (Oregon), 15–24 July 2022
- Medals
- 10 — 4 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze
- Table
- 2nd — behind only host USA; ahead of Jamaica on golds
- Marathon double
- Tola 2:05:36 + Gebreslase 2:18:11, back-to-back days
- Still standing
- Both marathon marks remain the championship records in 2026
- The spine
- All 10 medals from 1500m upward — nothing from sprints or field
- The after
- Tola went on to Olympic marathon gold at Paris 2024 (OR 2:06:26)
- Kit
- Ethiopia Pro Elite 2022 (adidas) — 2 pieces in the archive
The 2022 season in short
Ethiopia's 2022 season peaked at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon — the first Worlds ever held in the United States — with ten medals: four gold, four silver, two bronze.
That equalled Ethiopia's best-ever Worlds haul and placed the team second in the medal table, behind only the host USA and ahead of Jamaica, who also won ten but only two golds. Every single Ethiopian medal came from 1500m upward — the pure distance spine.
Two marathons, two records
The heart of the ten was a marathon double, run on back-to-back days.
On 17 July, Tamirat Tola won the men's marathon in 2:05:36 — a championship record — with Mosinet Geremew taking silver in 2:06:44 for an Ethiopian one-two. On 18 July, Gotytom Gebreslase won the women's race in 2:18:11, another championship record. Four years on, both records are still on the books: Budapest 2023 and Tokyo 2025 were both won in slower times.
Tola's trajectory kept climbing: New York champion in 2023, then Olympic marathon gold at Paris 2024 in an Olympic record 2:06:26 — from Eugene championship record to Olympic champion in two years.
The distance spine on the track
On the track, the distance corps filled the rest of the sheet.
Letesenbet Gidey — then the world-record holder over 10,000m — won that title in 30:09.94. Gudaf Tsegay left Eugene with two medals: 5000m gold (14:46.29) and 1500m silver, with Dawit Seyaum making it an Ethiopian one-three in the 5000m. In the steeplechases, Lamecha Girma took his third straight global silver, and Werkuha Getachew and Mekides Abebe went two-three in the women's final.
Six of the ten medals came from just three finals — the men's marathon, the women's steeplechase and the women's 5000m each put two Ethiopians on the podium. Nothing came from sprints, jumps or throws; nothing needed to.
Every Ethiopian medal in Eugene
The full ten, race by race:
- GoldLetesenbet Gidey — 10,000m30:09.94
- GoldTamirat Tola — Marathon2:05:36 · CR
- GoldGotytom Gebreslase — Marathon2:18:11 · CR
- GoldGudaf Tsegay — 5000m14:46.29
- SilverMosinet Geremew — Marathon2:06:44
- SilverGudaf Tsegay — 1500m3:54.52
- SilverLamecha Girma — 3000m steeplechase8:26.01
- SilverWerkuha Getachew — 3000m steeplechase8:54.61
- BronzeMekides Abebe — 3000m steeplechase8:56.08
- BronzeDawit Seyaum — 5000m14:47.36
And the two marks that outlived everyone since:
The Eugene marathon records vs later champions — data table
| Race | Championships | Winning time | Record status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's marathon | Eugene 2022 (Tola) | 2:05:36 | Championship record — still stands |
| Men's marathon | Budapest 2023 | 2:08:53 | — |
| Men's marathon | Tokyo 2025 | 2:09:48 | — |
| Women's marathon | Eugene 2022 (Gebreslase) | 2:18:11 | Championship record — still stands |
| Women's marathon | Tokyo 2025 | 2:24:43 | — |
The kit: Ethiopia Pro Elite 2022
Ethiopia raced Eugene in the Ethiopia Pro Elite 2022 cycle — the race-issued adidas kit of the era. adidas was the Ethiopian federation's principal sponsor in this period, its backing worth roughly half the federation's annual income.
What “Pro Elite” means here. Pro Elite pieces are issued to the athletes through the team channel: cut, weight and finishing specified for competition, in a run limited to what the squad receives. When a piece leaves that channel it is not replaced.
The 2022 Ethiopian rail in the archive is a small, authentic slice of that cycle — two pieces. What is here is shown below; for the rest of the Ethiopian range, the full collection is a click away.
Ethiopia Pro Elite 2022
The pieces we hold from the Ethiopia Pro Elite 2022 cycle — the race-issued adidas kit from the Eugene season. A small, authentic slice; in stock first, sold-out pieces stay visible, and the full Ethiopian collection is a click away.
How many medals did Ethiopia win at the 2022 World Championships?
Ten — four gold, four silver, two bronze — finishing second in the Eugene medal table behind only the host USA, and equalling Ethiopia's best-ever Worlds haul.
Who won Ethiopia's golds in Eugene?
Letesenbet Gidey (10,000m, 30:09.94), Tamirat Tola (marathon, 2:05:36), Gotytom Gebreslase (marathon, 2:18:11) and Gudaf Tsegay (5000m, 14:46.29). The two marathon golds came on back-to-back days.
Are the Eugene marathon records still standing?
Yes — both. Tola's 2:05:36 and Gebreslase's 2:18:11 are still the World Championships records as of 2026: Budapest 2023 and Tokyo 2025 were won in slower times (2:08:53 and 2:09:48 for the men, 2:24:43 for the women in Tokyo).
What happened to these athletes after Eugene?
Tamirat Tola won the New York Marathon in 2023 and the Paris 2024 Olympic marathon in an Olympic record 2:06:26. Gudaf Tsegay was still on a world podium in 2025 (10,000m bronze in Tokyo). Lamecha Girma remains the steeplechase world-record holder (7:52.11) and returned to racing in 2025 after his Paris Olympic fall. Letesenbet Gidey has not raced since late 2023.
What kit did Ethiopia wear in 2022?
The Ethiopia Pro Elite 2022 collection — the athlete-issued adidas team kit of the era; adidas was the federation's principal sponsor. The archive holds two pieces from the cycle; the rail below shows what is in stock, and the full Ethiopian collection is linked from there.
Sources and References
- Wikipedia — Ethiopia at the 2022 World Athletics Championships — the full medal list (4-4-2)
- Wikipedia — 2022 World Athletics Championships (medal table) — USA 33 · Ethiopia 10 · Jamaica 10, Ethiopia 2nd on golds
- Wikipedia — 2025 World Championships men's marathon — Tola's 2:05:36 listed as the standing championship record
- World Athletics — Tokyo 25 women's marathon report — Gebreslase's 2:18:11 cited as the standing record
- LetsRun / World Athletics — Paris 2024 men's marathon — the after: Tola's Olympic gold and record
- Ethiopian Business Review — federation finances and the adidas sponsorship — adidas as the federation's principal sponsor of the era