Birhanu Gedefa

Birhanu Gedefa (born 16 March 1984) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner specializing in the marathon. He is notable for winning the Houston Marathon in 2015 and for being retroactively declared the 2016 champion of the same event due to doping disqualifications of the original top finishers.

Birhanu Gedefa

Personal information
Nationality	Ethiopian
Born	Birhanu Gedefa (1984-03-16) March 16, 1984 (age 41) Ethiopia
Occupation	Long-distance runner
Years active	2011–present
Sport
Country	Ethiopia
Sport	Athletics
Event	Marathon
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	Marathon: 2:08:03 (Houston, 2015)

Career

Gedefa began his international career around 2011. His breakthrough came at the 2015 Houston Marathon, which he won in a personal best time of 2:08:03.^[1][2][3]

The following year, Gedefa was officially awarded the 2016 Houston Marathon title. This came after Gebo Burka Gameda and Girmay Birhanu Gebru, who originally finished first and second, respectively, were disqualified for anti-doping rule violations by the IAAF and USADA. Gedefa, who had initially placed third, was then recognized as the winner with an official time of 2:11:53.^[4][5]

Personal best

• Marathon: 2:08:03 – Houston, United States, 18 January 2015^[1]