Letesenbet Gidey

Letesenbet ran the 5000 m at the Ethiopian Championships on 14 June. Almaz Ayana won in a time of 16:11.40; Kidsan Alema was second in 16:13.48, and Letesenbet was third in 16:19.30.[5][6]

Letesenbet won the Jan Meda Cross Country Junior race on a 6 km course. Her winning time was 20:30, with Dagmawit Kbru 20:31 the runner-up.[7]

Letesenbet ran the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championship in Guiyang, China, on 28 March. She won the U20 World title on the 6030 m course in a time of 19:48, and she and her Ethiopian teammates won the team title. At the age of 17, she was the youngest junior women's winner in 15 years. Fellow Ethiopians Dera Dida finished second and Etagegne Woldu third, in 19:49 and 19:53, respectively.[8]

Letesenbet won a 5000 m run in Bottrop on 21 June in a time of 15:39.83. The runner-up was Jana Groß-Hardt in 17:06.33. At first, Letesenbet was disqualified because she had stepped on a marking on the track. Groß-Hardt stood at the top of the podium during the winner ceremony. Letesenbet objected to this decision, reasoning that her misstep had not given her an unfair advantage, and as a result of her appeal she was reinstated as the winner.[9][10][11]

On 15 July, Letesenbet ran the 3000 m girls' race at the World Athletics U18 Championships in Cali, Colombia. Shuru Bulo (Ethiopia) won in a time of 9:01.12 and Emily Chebet Kipchumba (Kenya) was second in 9:02.92. Sheila Chelangat (Kenya) took third in 9:04.54, and Letesenbet finished fourth in 9:04.64.[12]

Letesenbet ran the 5000 meters in Hengelo, Netherlands, on 22 May. She won in a time of 14:58.44 on a 6 km course.[13] Zeyneba Yimer finished second in 21:37 and Hawi Feyisa placed third in 21:44.[14]

On 30 June, she ran the 5000m at the Mitin Internacional Ciutat de Barcelona, which she won in 14:45.63, defeating Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia), who dropped out after 3600m[15]

Letesenbet won the women's junior run at the Ethiopian Cross Country championships on 13 February in Addis Ababa.

On 26 March, Letesenbet won the U20 IAAF World Cross Country Championship on a 6 km course in Kampala, Uganda. Hawi Feysa (Ethiopia) finished second and Celliphine Chespol (Kenya) was third.[16]

Letesenbet competed in the women's 5000 metres at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics.[17] in London. She advanced to the finals and finished 11th of 14 starters. The race was won by Hellen Obiri (Kenya) in a time of 14:34.86, the silver medal went to Almaz Ayana (Ethiopia), who ran 14:40.35, and the bronze went to Sifan Hassan (Netherlands), who ran 14:42.74.[18]

Letesenbet won the sixth race of the IAAF Cross Country Permit series in San Vittore Olona, Italy. Her winning time was 18:14 on a 6 km course. Daisy Jepkemei (Kenya) finished second in 18:18.[19]

Letesenbet ran the 5000 meters in Eugene, Oregon (USA) on 26 May. She placed second in a time of 14:30.29.[13] Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia) won in 14:26.89 and Hellen Obiri (Kenya) placed third in 14:35.03.[20]

On 10 February 2019 Letesenbet ran the Jan Meda Cross Country run in Addis Adaba. The women's 10 km race was won by Dera Dida in 35:50; Letesenbet placed second in 35:55.[21]

In the 2019 edition of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Letesenbet participated in the women's senior race. The 5000 m world champion Hellen Obiri (Kenya) won on the extremely hilly 10.2 km course in Aarhus, Denmark. Obiri's winning time was 36:14, with Dera Dida as the runner-up and Letesenbet taking the bronze medal.

Letesenbet raced the 10,000 m at the Ethiopian National championships in Addis Ababa on 8 May. She won in a time of 32:10.2, with Tsehay Gemechu second in 32:17.2.[22][23][24]

On 19 May, Letesenbet ran the 10k Bengaluru. She placed second, with Agnes Tirop (Kenya) the winner and Senbere Teferi (Ethiopia) in third place. All three women finished with the same time of 33:55.[25][26]

At the 30 June Diamond League meet in Stanford, California (USA), Letesenbet took third place in a 3000 m race in a time of 8:20.27. The winner was Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) in 8:18.49, a European record, with Konstanze Klosterhalfen (Germany) the runner-up in 8:20.07.[27][28] Seven of the top 15 runners ran personal bests.[29][30]

Letesenbet won the women's 10,000 m Ethiopian trials on 17 July. Her winning time on the track in Hengelo, Netherlands, was 30:37.89. World half-marathon champion Netsanet Gudeta was the runner-up in 30:40.85.[31]

At the 2019 Diamond League final in Brussels, Letesenbet finished second in the 5000 m in A time of 14:29.54. The winner was Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) in 14:26.26. Konstanze Klosterhalfen, the German record-holder, placed third in 14:29.89, and the Kenyan world champion Hellen Obiri Was fourth in 14:33.90.[32][33]

On 28 September, Letesenbet took the silver medal in the 10,000m at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. The race was won by Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) in a time of 30:17.33, a new Dutch national record. Letesenbet finished in 30:21.23, with Agnes Tirop (Kenya) third in 30:25.50.[34]

On 17 November, Letesenbet set a new world best over 15km in 44:20 at the Zevenheuvelenloop road race in Nijmegen, improving the previous world record of Joyciline Jepkosgei by more than one minute and becoming the first woman to run 15km under 45 minutes.[35][36] Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) had set a 15km world record at the Zevenheuvelenloop with 46:28 in 2009, which was a 27-second improvement on the former mark at the time.[37] Letesenbet lowered Dibaba's course record by more than 2 minutes.[35] For this world best, Letesenbet received a prize of 50,000 €.[38]

At the Diamond League Monaco meet on 14 August 2020, Letesenbet finished the 5000 m second in a time of 14:26.57. Hellen Obiri (Kenya) won in 14:22.12, a meeting record. Laura Weightman (United Kingdom) placed third with 14:35.44.[39]

On 7 October 2020, at the NN Valencia World Record Day meet held at the Estadi del Túria in Valencia, she set a world record time of 14:06.62 in the 5000 metres, which improved on Tirunesh Dibaba's 12-year-old record by more than 4 seconds.[40]