Efrem Gidey
 Gidey (left) at the 2022 European Athletics Championships | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Irish | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 3 September 2000 | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||
| Event | Long distance running | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 3000m: 8:05.69 (Dublin, 2024) 5000m: 13:37.56 (Dublin, 2023) 10,000m: 27:40.00 (London, 2024) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Efrem Gidey (born 3 September 2000) is an Irish long distance runner.[1]
Early life[edit]
Gidey fled Eritrea as a refugee in 2016 and spent six months at a refugee camp in Calais before arriving in Dublin in March 2017 when he was 16 years-old. He learnt English at Le Chéile Secondary School in Tyrellstown, where he sat the Leaving Cert in 2019 and began training at Clonliffe Harriers under Joe Cooper. He later lived with Cooper's son Ian. He won the senior boys’ race at the Irish Schools Cross Country Championships and he won the senior boys’ 5,000m at the All-Ireland Schools Track and Field Championships in both 2018 and 2019. After Cooper's death in 2020 he continued a relationship with the family, with Cooper’a wife Gladys and Ian supporting him at races.[2][3]
Career[edit]
He received Irish citizenship in 2019.[4] That year, he won the All Ireland Schools U20 men’s 5000m race with a U20 national record time of 14:34.22.[5] He won a bronze medal at the 2019 European Cross Country Championships in Lisbon in the U20 individual event, won by Jakob Ingebrigtsen.[2][3][6]
He finished sixth in the 10,000 metres at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich.[7] In October 2022, he set a course record in helping his Conliffe team win the Northern Ireland and Ulster Road Relay Championships in Victoria Park, Belfast.[8]
In September 2023, he finished fifth in the Great North Run in his debut run over the half marathon distance in a time of 1:04:3.[9]
In January 2024, he ran a new personal best time of 27:56 competing in Valencia over 5km on the road.[10] Competing at the Night of 10,000m PB's meet in London on 18 May 2024, Gidey clocked 27:40.00 to go second on the all-time Irish list, and just 0.45 of a second from Alistair Cragg's national 10,000m record.[11] He was selected for the Irish team for the 2024 European Athletics Championships.[12]
Personal life[edit]
His family now live in Tigray, Ethiopia.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ "Efrem Gidey". World Athletics. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ a b Dennehy, Cathal (8 September 2023). "Gidey completes stunning journey from refugee camp to European podium". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Kissane, Sinead (3 September 2022). "The Efrem Gidey journey – from war-torn Eritrea and spell in a Calais refugee camp to running for Ireland". Independent. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ O'Riordan, Ian. "Efrem Gidey is not switching nationality but finding one". Irish Times. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ Whooley, Declan (9 December 2019). "'If you can make your way to Calais from Eritrea, you can negotiate an airport'". RTE. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ "Ireland win four medals at Euro Cross". BBC Sport. 8 December 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ "Efrem Gidey Was Quietly One Of The Breakout Irish Stars Of Munich 22". Balls.ie. 22 August 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ Hill, Brian (3 October 2022). "Efrem Gidey's record-breaking run puts Clonliffe on top in Ulster Relay Championships". Belfast Telegraph.
- ^ "Efrem Gidey of Clonliffe finishes 5th in Great North Run, Somba wins Ratoath Half Marathon - Weekend Roundup". Runrepunlic. September 11, 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ Naughton, Lindie (15 January 2024). "Gidey's sub 28 min 10k for 17th… Irish round-up". Fast Running. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ "Race #17 Mens Championship". Opentrack. 18 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ Dennehy, Cathal (28 May 2024). "Ciara Mageean and Sarah Healy in 1-2 for Ireland at Ostrava 1500m as team is named for European Championships in Rome". Independent.ie. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
