Multiple world and Olympic gold medalist Tirunesh Dibaba leads the elite women’s field for the BMW Berlin Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label road race, on 16 September.
The 32-year-old Ethiopian, who has three Olympic gold medals and nine world titles on the track and cross country, has a marathon PB of 2:17:56. That time, which she set when finishing second at last year’s London Marathon, makes her the third fastest woman in history. Tirunesh is keen to beat this time in Berlin and, given ideal weather conditions, might even get close to the world record of 2:15:25, set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003.
Tirunesh will face four other women with PBs faster than 2:20, including defending champion Gladys Cherono and two-time world champion Edna Kiplagat. Cherono regained the Berlin Marathon title last year in 2:20:23, having won in 2015 with a PB of 2:19:25.
Kiplagat, 38, won world titles in 2011 and 2013 and nearly picked up a third gold medal in London last year, eventually settling for silver by just seven seconds. The Kenyan set her PB of 2:19:50 in 2012 and is a previous winner in London, New York and Boston.
Ethiopia’s Aselefech Mergia set her PB of 2:19:31 on the second of her three Dubai Marathon victories. The 2010 London Marathon champion will be returning to Berlin for the first time since taking the world bronze medal in the German capital back in 2009.
Tirunesh heads high quality women’s field for Berlin Marathon
Waliya Boss Abraham Mebratu names assistants
Newly appointed Ethiopian national team head coach Abraham Mebratu made his deputies official, including highly regarded former national team skipper Mulugeta Meheret.
Mulugeta Meheret, who won four Premier League titles with Saint George, two Cecafa championships and played midfield for Hawassa, Saint George and the Ethiopian national team, would have joined Hawassa as Wubetu Abate’s replacement as head coach had it not been for the call to national duty. Famous for having a single booking in more than twelve seasons as a player Mulugeta is expected to bring something completely different.
He has experienced the real situation of chasing a dream and winning something special for his country.
With four Premier League titles and over twelve years’ experience as both Saint George and national team full back, Fasil Tekalegn is the other assistant chosen by Abraham. An assistant to Saint George under current Coach Vaz Pinto and the national side under Mariano Bareto and Yohannes Sahle, the usually reserved Fasil is expected to pass on his abundant experience to his players.
Wubeshet Desalegn is goal keeper coach. Formerly a goalie with the Ethiopian national and Olympic team and later an assistant to Lucy head coach Selam Zeray, Wubshet is tasked with a heavy undertaking. He must produce a goal keeper from out of nowhere for every one of our big name clubs’ goal keepers are foreigners. “It is wise of Abraham to call all three former players to bridge the gap of his lack of playing experience at higher levels,” Asrat Yalew suggested.
Additional staff will soon join Abraham who made a name in Yemen steering the Olympic team to its first ever appearance in the Asian Cup final.
Colonel Awol heads Organizing Committee while Sewnet takes the Technic
EFF President Issayas Jirra has assigned his cabinet members to lead the standing committees and organize their respective sub committees. The two most important jobs, the Organizing Committee and Technical and Development departments went to Colonel Awol Abdulrahim and instructor Sewnet Bishaw respectively. Five of the nine department heads were in same position during the previous executive body spearheaded by Junedin Basha, considered by some to be the worst ever.
It is a mystery how members of the previous executive body happened to be once again at the center stages of Ethiopian Football and in fact it is very ironic. The committee leaders became official at the start of the week. Yosef Tesfaye from Addis Ababa, Abebe Gelagay from Diredawa, Zerihun Kekebo from the Southern region and Alimirah Mohammed from Afar are the five individuals who had been serving in the previous executive body and now are named department heads for a second four year term.
The army Colonel who brought up Dedebit FC from scratch to a Premier League title winning outfit in less than a decade and is now vice president of EFF, Colonel Awol Abdulrahim was named Chairman of the National Organizing Committee while Sewnet who steered Ethiopia to the African nations Cup final after three decades is bestowed to lead the Technic and Development Department.
Yosef Tesfaye who had been suspended for years for failing to follow-up Lucy’s presence in the international qualification campaign is Chairman to the highly controversial Referees Committee while the only woman in the cabinet Sofia Almaw is in charge of women’s football. Abebe Gelagay, Alimirah Mohammed and Zerihun Kekebo are spearheading the Marketing, Security and Medical Committees respectively.
What Now for Ethiopia: Risks and Opportunities?
Opinion is currently divided on Ethiopia’s future.
On one hand of the spectrum, there are those who believe that Ethiopia is a train wreck, highly charged along ethnic lines and facing complex political and security problems. These skeptics highlight the persistent insecurity in many parts of the state.
This week’s violent murder of the project manager of Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Semegnew Bekele, is yet another indicator of how fragile the security situation is. This incident has horribly unnerved Ethiopia, triggering anguish about the country’s national security capabilities.
Given the role Semegnew Bekele and the political dimension of the project, his murder was a profound shock to the public.
What will be the impact of this episode? We don’t know. But clearly people increasingly feel that criminal elements in Ethiopia are now able to operate with impunity.
On the other side of the equation, the optimists believe that Ethiopia, with its new leader Dr. Aby Ahmed, is paused to become the next emerging nation in Africa. These folks point to the new winds of change blowing across Ethiopia, they argue that the strong aspiration for unity, the high support of the international community, the peace accord with Eritrea, and the relatively high growth level, still make Ethiopia’s prospects look promising.
So, given such conflicting views, it is hardly surprising that the public is confused about Ethiopia. I am inclined to go with the optimists. And let me just take one issue: Eritrea. Now that the Party is over, how exactly should we deal with fallout from the peace truce?
In his book, “The Art of War”, Sun Tzu notes: “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.” There is a significant amount of strategy and doctrine over the years that have attempted to achieve these ends. I don’t know if the quote truly applies to the Ethio-Eritrea peace deal of last month, but when two belligerents come together to gain advantage without war, that’s when true success lies.
A Nobel prize for both PM Aby and President Isaias is no joke!
Why not!
They both deserve it, as opposed to, say, President Trump who thinks he should get the Nobel Prize for only brokering a potential peace?
Moreover, it looks like the PM is personally invested in engagement with Eritrea; for now TPLF may find it difficult to resist, whatever reservations they may have. – Wisdom dictates! The two countries should address and resolve the causes of tension and take all possible measures to avert future hostilities by adopting a system of binding rules that embody clarity, predictability, and equal applicability for their development.
One best way of doing this is to move on towards the establishment of a common market (by 2020 ) through the elimination of all trade barriers and the establishment of a common external trade policy. This is important not just to cement the peace, but also to promote integration for a lasting reconciliation of both countries, thereby reducing the potential for war. Both countries can also plan ahead to complete an economic and monetary union, which include the creation of a single currency (by 2022), while at the same time they coordinate or align their foreign and security policy and strengthen police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters.
Interesting timing for economic union, don’t you think?
Indeed, such a move would be a stunning evolution for Ethiopia. It would increase jobs, make us more competitive regionally and strengthen our cooperation with Eritrea, and even attract neighboring countries to join in the common market in the future.
True, free trade may not have been central to Ethiopia’s past economic policies, but this initiative with Eritrea can, in a modest way at least for now, provide further assurance of stability and prosperity.
Finally, don’t forget the big strategic picture. Our international security, in an ever more dangerous Red Sea region, is incalculably enhanced by having stable and friendly ally to our north. Reinforcing our commitment to shared prosperity with our Eritrean neighbors through a common market is the kind of reassurance Ethiopian leaders should advance.
So, there you have it. All the conditions are now in place for these two countries to call the negotiators, and move forward.
