User:Habst/Girmawit Gebrzihair

Girmawit Gebrzihair Gebru (born 21 November 2001), also spelled Girmawit Gebregziabher, is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. In 2022, she ran the fourth-fastest half-marathon of all time with a 64:14 performance.

In 2018, Gebrzihair won the bronze medal at the 2018 World U20 Championships in Athletics in the women's 5000 m. Her age was the subject of controversy after athletes and journalists claimed photos of her from the event depicted someone older than her official age of 16, though no official proof of age cheating was provided.

Career
Gebrzihair first caught attention in 2017 at the age of 14, when she finished second at the Great Ethiopian Run with a time of 32:33. According to the Association of Road Racing Statisticians records, this mark was a single-age record for 14 year olds by 43 seconds, besting Ji-ang Qinghua of China's mark from 1999.

In 2018, she won the Ethiopian Athletics U20 Championships in the 5000 m with a time of 15:48.81 and the next day finished third in the 3000 m. In July, at the age of 16, she participated in the World U20 Championships in Athletics and finished third behind Beatrice Chebet and Ejgayehu Taye with a time of 15:34.01 minutes.

In 2019, Gebrzihair finished fifth in the U20 race at the World Cross Country Championships, helping her team win the gold medal. In July, she placed eighth in the 10,000 m at the Ethiopian qualifiers for the World Championships in Athletics, setting a personal best but not making the team.

In 2020 and 2021, Gebrzihair was not listed in any competition results.

In January 2022, Gebrzihair competed in the Great Ethiopian Run, finishing second with a time of 31:29, behind Yalemzerf Yehualaw. On February 19, she set a new course record at the RAK Half Marathon with a time of 1:04:14. The time was the fourth fastest ever run by a woman in the half marathon. In May, Gebrzihair finished fifth in the 3000 m at the 2022 Doha Diamond League with a time of 8:41.88.

Age controversy


In July 2018, photos of Gebrzihair from the 2018 World U20 Championships in Athletics went viral for her apparent age. Sprinter Óscar Husillos tweeted in Spanish, "Her children and grandchildren are in the stands to see her run in the World U20 Championships". Other journalists also ridiculed the photos, claiming that Gebrzihair could not possibly be 16 years old.

Despite the controversy, there has been no proven evidence that Gebrzihair is over-aged. Husillos later deleted his tweet, claiming that it was taken out of context and his words were misinterpreted.