This article is about a person whose name includes a patronymic. The article properly refers to the person by his given name, Feyisa, and not as Lilesa.
Fayisa Lelisa
Feyisa at the 2015 Berlin Marathon
Personal information
Nationality
Ethiopian
Born
(1990-02-01) 1 February 1990 (age 34) Jeldu, Ethiopia
Sport
Event
Long-distance running
Chicago Marathon: 2:04:52 (2012)
Medal record
Feyisa Lilesa
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing Ethiopia
Olympic Games
2016 Rio de Janeiro
Marathon
World Championships
2011 Daegu
Marathon
Feyisa Lilesa (Afaan Oromo: Fayyisaa Leellisaa; born 1 February 1990) is an Oromo long-distance runner from Ethiopia.[1] He became the youngest man to run under 2:06 when he ran 2:05:23 in the men's marathon at the 2010 Rotterdam Marathon.[2] He set his personal best of 2:04:52 in the marathon when he came in second place at the 2012 Chicago Marathon.[3]
Feyisa Lilesa during 2013 London Marathon
He won the Dublin Marathon in 2009 in his debut race and won the Xiamen International Marathon in 2010. He was the bronze medalist at the 2011 World Championships marathon and the silver medalist in the 2016 Rio Olympics marathon. On the final day of the 2016 Rio Olympics (21 August), as he was crossing the finish line of the Men's Marathon and winning his silver medal, he raised his arms in a gesture of solidarity with protestors against the killing of the Oromo people in his native Ethiopia. Citing fear for his life if he returned to Ethiopia, he said in a press conference following the race that he would, "try and move to another country."[1] One of the countries he mentioned was the U.S. and the State Department was asked about this possibility.[4]
After the resignation of Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in March 2018, his successor Abiy Ahmed encouraged Feyisa to return home to his country in October 2018, ending his two-year exile.[5]
^ ab"Ethiopia 'hero' runner gets asylum donations after Oromo protest sign". BBC News. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^"Merga and Lilesa join Chicago men's field". IAAF. 1 October 2010. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
^"Marathon – men – senior – outdoor". IAAF. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
^"U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPEAKS ABOUT FEYISA – SiiTube.com – BREAKING #Oromo and #Ethiopia News and Music Video". Archived from the original on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
^"Ethiopian Olympic protest runner Feyisa Lilesa finally rewarded". BBC News. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
FeyisaLilesa (Afaan Oromo: Fayyisaa Leellisaa; born 1 February 1990) is an Oromo long-distance runner from Ethiopia. He became the youngest man to run...
Games on 21 August 2016, he won in a time of 2:08:44. The runner up was FeyisaLilesa (Ethiopia) in 2:09:54 and the bronze medal went to Galen Rupp (USA)...
comfortably won the marathon by the largest margin since 1972. The runner-up FeyisaLilesa of Ethiopia made a political protest by crossing his arms near the finish...
record to become an Olympic champion in the women's 10,000 metres, and FeyisaLilesa, who flaunted an anti-government gesture upon finishing second in the...
sharply. Wanjiru stayed with a lead pack of Bedan Karoki, Abel Kirui and FeyisaLilesa until 21 miles before making a break. However, Bekele was not finished...
marathon distance at the Bogotá Half Marathon, finishing third behind FeyisaLilesa and Peter Kirui in a time of 1:05:04. It was in the second half of 2017...
to Doha, 23 July 2019 Uncommon courage at Rio Olympics: Ethiopia's FeyisaLilesa risks it all for his people, 22 August 2016 Ethiopian runner Almaz Ayana...
2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021. "Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie and FeyisaLilesa ready to join Tigray war". BBC News. 24 November 2021. Archived from...
Genzebe Dibaba 2016 Rio de Janeiro Athletics Women's 1500 m Silver FeyisaLilesa 2016 Rio de Janeiro Athletics Men's marathon Bronze Tamirat Tola 2016...
anthem. The final medalists are listed below : Eliud Kipchoge - Gold FeyisaLilesa - Silver Galen Rupp - Bronze Four newly elected members of the IOC Athletes'...
2:07:38 beating out fellow countryman Vincent Kipruto and Ethiopian FeyisaLilesa. This made Kirui the third man to defend the marathon world title, following...
Mucheru Tumuti 2016 Rio de Janeiro Athletics Men's 400m hurdles Silver FeyisaLilesa 2016 Rio de Janeiro Athletics Men's marathon Silver Luvo Manyonga 2016...
Boston Marathon champion Lelisa Desisa and Chicago Marathon runner-up FeyisaLilesa. The prize winnings of US$200,000 represented a significant change of...
Cross Country Championships World Junior Championships February 1 — FeyisaLilesa, Ethiopian long-distance runner August 29 — Marin Premeru, Croatian...
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