Samuel Fitwi Sibhatu (born 1 January 1996) is a German marathon runner. He won a bronze medal at the 2024 European Athletics Championships and ran at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[1]

Samuel Fitwi Sibhatu
Fitwi Sibhatu at the 2022 European Championships for the 10,000 Meters race
Personal information
NationalityGerman
Born (1996-01-01) 1 January 1996 (age 28)
Eritrea
Sport
SportAthletics
EventLong-distance running
Achievements and titles
Personal best
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Germany
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Rome Half Marathon team

Early life

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At the age of 17, Sibhatu fled his home country of Eritrea with a group of four peers to Cologne to escape the military regime . After his escape, he was taken in by a family in Stadtkyll, Rhineland-Palatinate.[2]

Career

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In August 2022, Sibhatu competed in the 10,000 meters at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich, where he finished in ninth place with a new personal best time of 28:03.92 minutes.[3]

In 2023, Sibhatu achieved a personal best time of 2:08:28 hours at the Berlin Marathon, this also placed him in fourth place on the German all-time list.[4]

On January 7, 2024, Sibhatu set a new best time of 2:06:27 in finishing fifth in the Dubai Marathon, that time met the qualifying standard for the 2024 Olympic Games.[5]

He won a bronze medal at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in the Men's half marathon team event. In the individual race he placed fifth.[6]

He competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Personal life

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In 2018, he obtained German citizenship.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Samuel Fitwi Sibhatu". World Athletics. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  2. ^ Altschuk, Hannah (1 August 2024). "Suddenly an Olympic hero – runner between two worlds (= SWR Portrait. No. 22)". Südwestrundfunk. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  3. ^ "EUROPEAN ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS - RESULTS 10,000 METRES: ITALIAN TRIUMPHS AHEAD OF SURPRISE MAN". hdsports. 22 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Samuel Fitwi: Marathon in record time". lvrheinland. 26 September 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Results - Dubai Marathon 2024". Watch Athletics. 7 January 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  6. ^ "Crippa and Riva land another Italian 1-2 in Roma 2024". European Athletics. 9 June 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  7. ^ Hübner, Mario (8 January 2018). "Menschen: Ein Lauftalent aus Eritrea mischt die Szene in der Region Trier auf". volksfreund.de. Retrieved 10 August 2024.