Kenenisa Bekele's height, age, wife, achievements, world record, net worth

Kenenisa Bekele's height, age, wife, achievements, world record, net worth

Kenneth Mwenda
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:13 PM

Kenenisa Bekele's height and weight have been crucial in his marathon success. This man has also been successful due to his intense training method in the Ethiopian hills. In addition to being a long-distance runner, Bekele is also a great entrepreneur. He has been married to an Ethiopian film actress since 2007.

Kenenisa Bekele's height, age, wife, achievements, world record, net worth
Kenenisa Bekele, the Ethiopian athlete, runs the 46th Berlin Marathon on 29th September 2019, in Berlin. Photo: Christoph Soeder.
Source: Getty Images

He is one of the most accomplished athletes in Ethiopia and has been a two-time world record breaker. He began his career while still in high school.

Profile summary

Full Names

Kenenisa Bekele

Nationality

Ethiopia

Gender

Male

Place of Birth

Arsi Province, Ethiopia

Date of Birth

June 13, 1982

Zodiac sign

Gemini

Age as of October 2022

40 years

Occupation

Marathon Runner

Height

1.65 m

Weight

56 kg

Country of Residence

Ethiopia

Marital Status

Married

Wife

Danawit Gebregziabher

Children

3

World Record

5,000m record holder (2004 - 2020), 10,000m record holder (2005 - 2020)

Net worth

Between $1 Million – $5 Million

Kenenisa Bekele's age

Kenenisa Bekele's age
Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia poses for a portrait ahead of the 2020 London Marathon on October 2, 2020, in London, England. Photo: Bob Martin
Source: Getty Images

Exciting feature: Check out news exactly for YOU ➡️ find "Recommended for you" block and enjoy!

He was born on June 13 1982, in Arsi Province, Socialist Ethiopia. He is currently (October 2022) 40 years old. He grew up in the same town as the Dibaba sisters (Ejegayehu, Tirunesh, and Genzebe) as well as Derartu Tulu.

Kenenisa Bekele's height

He is 1.65 meters tall and weighs about 56 kilograms. He is the most successful runner in IAAF World Cross Country Championships' history.

Kenenisa Bekele's biography

Kenenisa Bekele's biography
Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia celebrates winning Gold during the Men's 10000m Final held at the National Stadium on Day 9 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Photo: Ian MacNicol
Source: Getty Images

He worked on his father's farm as a child. On the farm, he sold chicken eggs and cared for sheep. He aspired to be an engineer or a mathematician when he grew up.

He started running in middle school after world-renowned trainer Sentayehu Eshetu suggested it. Because of his success as a junior runner, he was given many incredible opportunities, including the first time he travelled outside of his home country, joining a professional-level club team, and representing Ethiopia in national competitions.

Kenenisa Bekele's achievements

He held the world record in both the 5000m and the 1000m from 2004 (5,000m) and 2005 (10,000m) until 2020. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, the gifted marathoner won gold medals in both the 5000m and 10000m events.

He also made history in the 2004 Olympics, winning gold in the 10,000m and silver in the 5000m. In addition, the medalist is the most successful runner in the history of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, having won six long (12 km) and five short (4 km) course titles.

Kenenisa Bekele at the World Athletics Championships

Kenenisa Bekele's achievements
Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia celebrates with the bronze medal after finishing third in the Men's Elite race during the 47th Berlin Marathon on September 26th, 2021. Photo: Maja Hitij
Source: Getty Images

He also won the 10000m title at the World Championships in Athletics in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009, matching Haile Gebrselassie's four-year winning streak.

The marathon champion was unbeaten over 10,000 metres from 2003 until 2011 when he failed to finish at the World Championships final.

He became the first man to win both the 5000 m and 10,000 m titles at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. He has also won an Olympic silver medal (2004), a World Championship bronze medal (2003), two African Championship titles, and an All-Africa Games gold medal over 5000 meters. At the 2006 World Indoor Championships, he also won the 3000 meters.

Marathon record

He broke yet another record on April 6, 2014, when he won the Paris Marathon in the sixth fastest marathon debut ever on a record-eligible course. 2:05:04 was the course record time.

On September 25, 2016, he also won the Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:03:03, a new personal best and the third-fastest marathon. On September 29, 2019, he won the Berlin Marathon for the second time in a time of 2:01:41, two seconds slower than the world record of 2:01:39 set by Eliud Kipchoge in the 2018 Berlin Marathon.

Bekele's awards

Kenenisa Bekele's awards
Eliud Kipchoge (C) poses with second-placed Kenya's Stanley Biwott (L) and third-placed Kenya's Kenenisa Bekele (R) during the 2016 London Marathon. Photo: Justin Tallis
Source: Getty Images

During his career, the marathoner won a number of other awards. These include:

  • IAAF World Athlete of the Year in 2004 and 2005
  • Track & Field News Athlete of the Year in 2004 and 2005
  • Ethiopian Person of the Year in 2007 and 2008

Kenenisa Bekele's speed

Bekele also has the second-fastest marathon time in history, clocking in at 2:01:41. He is only 32 seconds behind Eliud Kipchoge's World record. For context, Bekele's marathon time is 4 minutes 38 seconds per mile, repeated 26.2 times.

Reports shows that many of his runs during training would involve quick running up and down Ethiopian slopes to promote both leg speed and explosive strength/power. The hills have been one of Ethiopia's advantages in terms of training.

Kenenisa Bekele's net worth

Kenenisa Bekele's net worth
Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia poses with his starting number for the BMW Berlin Marathon 2017 on September 22, 2017, in Berlin, Germany. Photo: Alexander Hassenstein
Source: Getty Images

His net worth or income is estimated to be between $1 million and $5 million. He has amassed a large fortune from his primary profession as a runner. According to reports, Kenenisa's lowest annual salary was $350,000, while his highest was $1,000,000.

He has endorsement deals with companies such as Nike and NN Group. Additionally, the marathoner has worn Vaporfly and Alphafly shoes.

He made an investment by constructing the Kenenisa Hotel in central Addis Abeba, close to the airport. He has also purchased a property in Bekoji, about 170 miles south of Ethiopia's capital city.

Kenenisa Bekele's wife

Kenenisa Bekele's wife
Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele with his wife Dannawit Gebregziabher just after the wedding, at the Sheraton Hotel 17 November 2007, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Photo: Jose Cendon
Source: Getty Images

Kenenisa's first fiancée, AlemTechale, died of a heart attack while they were out for a run on January 4, 2005. She was the 2003 World Youth Champion at 1500m. His racing performance was naturally hampered by her tragic death.

Kenenisa married Ethiopian film actress Danawit Gebregziabher in Addis Ababa on November 18, 2007. She is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 55 kg on average.

She graduated from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia on May 21, 2013. Elnata, Elsama, and Wgus are her three children with Bekele. Tariku Bekele, Kenenisa's younger brother, is also a successful world-class distance runner.

Kenenisa Bekele has been one of the promising marathoners in Africa with wonderful height and body size. He is regarded as being on the same level as Eliud Kipchoge and Haile Gebrselassie.

ALSO READ: Eliud Kipchoge's net worth, world record, age, quotes, and family

Sportsbrief.com published an article about Eliud Kipchoge's net worth, world record, age, quotes, and family. He is the only person in history to complete a marathon in under two hours, a feat that many marathon runners can only dream of, perhaps in perpetuity.

The marathon runner started his career at the age of sixteen. Follow the link above to learn more about the Men's World Marathon record holder!

Authors
Kenneth Mwenda photo
Kenneth Mwenda
Kenneth Mwenda is a business and sports writer with over five years of experience. At Sportsbrief, he contributes to writing biographies and listicles.