Bashir Abdi
Abdi at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene
Personal information
CitizenshipBelgian
Born (1989-02-10) 10 February 1989[1][2]
El Afweyn, Somalia[3]
Sport
CountryBelgium
SportAthletics
EventLong-distance running
ClubNN Running Team[2]
Coached byGary Lough[2]
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Belgium
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place2020 TokyoMarathon
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place2022 EugeneMarathon
European Championships
Silver medal – second place2018 Berlin10,000 m
World Marathon Majors
Silver medal – second place2020 TokyoMarathon
Bronze medal – third place2022 LondonMarathon
Bronze medal – third place2023 ChicagoMarathon

Bashir Abdi (born 10 February 1989)[4] is a Somali-born Belgian long-distance runner. He won bronze medals in the marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2022 World Championships. In doing so, Abdi became both the first ever Belgian world championship medal winner at the marathon[5] and the first Belgian male athlete to win an individual medal at both the Olympic Games and World Athletics Championships. He claimed silver in the 10,000 metres at the 2018 European Championships. He finished second and third at the 2020 Tokyo Marathon and 2022 London Marathon respectively. Abdi is the European record holder for the marathon.

He also holds the Belgian records in the half marathon and one hour run, and the world best in the rarely contested 20,000 metres on track.

Personal life

Bashir Abdi was born in El Afweyn, Somaliland, a town mainly inhabited by the Habr Je'lo clan of the Isaaq clan-family.[3][6] When he was eight, his family moved to Djibouti. He then spent a year and a half in Ethiopia, before settling in Belgium. There, aged 16, he started training at the Racing Club Gent Athletics, following his brother Ibrahim.[2]

Abdi is married and has a daughter, Kadra, born 2018, and a son Ibrahim; born 2020. He is a co-founder and vice-chairman of the non-profit organization Sportaround, which organizes after-school sports activities for children in Ghent.[2]

Running career

2014–2017

Abdi entered the 10,000 metres at the 2014 European Athletics Championships with the European-leading time set on 4 May.[7][8] He finished fifth at the event.[4]

In May 2015, he qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics.[9]

At the Games, Abdi competed in both the men's 5000 m and 10,000 m. He finished 20th in the 10,000 m final, the race won by Great Britain's Mo Farah.

In 2017, he competed in the London 2017 World Championships in Athletics in the men's 5000 m, placing sixth in his heat.

2018–2019: Beginning of marathon career

In 2018, Abdi made his marathon debut at the Rotterdam Marathon, placing seventh with a time of 2:10:46. The race was won by Kenya's Kenneth Kipkemoi in 2:05:44.[10] In August that year, he won silver in the 10,000 m at the 2018 European Athletics Championships.[11] In the autumn Abdi raced several road races placing third at the Great North Run half marathon in a time of 1:00:42, fourth at the Dam tot Damloop 10 miler in 46:08, fifth at the Nijmegen Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km in 43:40 and third at the 's-Heerenberg Montferland Run 15 km in 43:40.[1]

Mo Farah, Abdi and Daniel Wanjiru, The Big Half in London in 2019.

In 2019, he was second at the Big Half Marathon in London with a time of 1:01:16 in a close finish with race winner Mo Farah and third placer Daniel Wanjiru. Abdi then competed in the London Marathon, placing seventh in a time of 2:07:03 in a race won by Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge in 2:02:37.[12] In August, he was second in the Beach to Beacon 10 km in the United States, finishing in 28:35. The race was initially won by Kenya's Alex Korio, however he was disqualified. Jairus Birech came in second.[13] Abdi headed back to Newcastle upon Tyne where he again raced the Great North Run half marathon, finishing fifth in a time of 1:01:11, the race was won by Farah. In October, Abdi ran in the Chicago Marathon, placing fifth with a time of 2:06:14, the race was won by Kenya's Lawrence Cherono in 2:05:45 in a sprint finish.[14] Abdi next raced at the Montferland Run 15 km, finishing fifth in a time of 42:29. On New Year's Eve in Spain he won the San Silvestre Vallecana 10k m in Madrid with a time of 27:47.

2020–present: Marathon breakthrough

Abdi opened his 2020 racing campaign by winning the Egmond Half Marathon. He then achieved his first marathon podium position by placing second in the Tokyo Marathon in a new personal best time of 2:04:49. He passed Ethiopia's Sisay Lemma in the closing stages to finish behind the race winner Ethiopia's Birhanu Legese, who ran a time of 2:04:15.[15] Abdi returned to the track in September competing at the Memorial Van Damme in the one hour race. He ran the majority of the race with Farah, taking the lead and setting a European record at 20,000 m of 56:20.02. He finished second behind Farah setting a mark of 21,322 metres.[1]

Bashir Abdi set a European record at the 2021 Rotterdam Marathon. In 2023 (pictured), he regained his title.

In 2021, Abdi was second behind Farah at the Djibouti International Half Marathon with a time of 1:03:11. He then placed second at the European 10,000 m Cup in Birmingham in a new personal best of 27:24.41. This performance qualified him for the 10,000 m event at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He focused on the marathon at the Games, however, winning the bronze medal.[2] In October, Abdi won the rescheduled Rotterdam Marathon, setting a European record with a time of 2:03:36.[16]

In April 2022, he placed fourth at the Rotterdam Marathon.[16] In July that year, Abdi won his second consecutive global bronze in the marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships held in Eugene, Oregon, clocking 2:06:48.[4] He earned his second medal at a World Marathon Major by finishing third at the London Marathon in October with a time of 2:05:19.[17]

In April 2023, Abdi regained his Rotterdam Marathon title in a time of 2:03:47, clocking a significant negative second half split of 61:32, setting the second fastest European time in history as he missed his own continental record by just 11 seconds.[18]

Statistics

Abdi took silver for the 10,000 m at the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin.

Competition record

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventTime
Representing  Belgium
2010 European Cross Country Championships Albufeira, Portugal 41st U23 race 25:25
2011 European U23 Championships Ostrava, Czech Republic 15th 5000 m 14:30.52
2012 European Championships Helsinki, Finland 8th 5000 m 13:39.01
4th 10,000 m 28:23.72
European Cross Country Championships Szentendre, Hungary 9th Senior race 30:26
2013 European Team Championships First League Dublin, Ireland 1st 5000 m 14:52.78
World Championships Moscow, Russia 23rd 10,000 m 28:41.69
European Cross Country Championships Belgrade, Serbia 8th Senior race 29:53
2014 European Championships Zürich, Switzerland 5th 10,000 m 28:13.61
16th 5000 m 14:24.73
2015 European Team Championships First League Heraklion, Greece 1st 5000 m 15:17.47
World Championships Beijing, China – (f) 10,000 m DNF
– (h) 5000 m DNS
2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 20th 10,000 m 28:01.49
33rd (h) 5000 m 13:42.83
2017 World Championships London, United Kingdom 19th (h) 5000 m 13:30.71
2018 European Championships Berlin, Germany 2nd 10,000 m 28:11.76
2021 European 10,000m Cup Birmingham, United Kingdom 2nd 10,000 m 27:24.41
Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 3rd Marathon 2:10:00 SB
2022 World Championships Eugene, OR, United States 3rd Marathon 2:06:48
World Marathon Majors
2019 London Marathon London, United Kingdom 7th Marathon 2:07:03
2020 Tokyo Marathon Tokyo, Japan 2nd Marathon 2:04:49
2022 London Marathon London, United Kingdom 3rd Marathon 2:05:19

Personal bests

SurfaceEventTime
(Distance)		PlaceDateNotes
Track 1500 metres3:36.55Oordegem, Belgium5 July 2014
3000 metres7:40.44London, United Kingdom24 July 2015
5000 metres13:04.91Brussels, Belgium31 August 2018
10,000 metres27:24.41Birmingham, United Kingdom5 June 2021
20,000 metres56:20.02Brussels, Belgium4 September 2020World best
One hour run21,322 mBrussels, Belgium4 September 2020NR
Road 10 km28:07Schoorl, Netherlands10 February 2019
Half marathon59:51Ghent, Belgium12 March 2023NR
Marathon2:03:36Rotterdam, Netherlands24 October 2021European record

References

  1. 1 2 3 Bashir ABDI. worldathletics.org
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "ABDI Bashir". Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Wiilashii Soomaalida oo guul wayn Yurub uga soo hooyay Maaradoonka Tokyo". BBC News Somali (in Somali). Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 "Bashir ABDI – Athlete Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  5. ↑ "Ethiopa's Tola takes dominant marathon gold". Reuters.com. 17 July 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  6. ↑ "EASO Country of Origin Information Report Somalia - Security Situation" (PDF). European Asylum Support Office: 72. February 2016. The Ceel Afweyn district is mainly inhabited by the Isaaq subclan Habar Jeelo.
  7. ↑ "EK atletiek: Bashir Abdi wordt vijfde in 10 kilometer". Metrotime.be. 13 August 2014. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  8. ↑ Bashir Abdi: ‘Ik heb tot het laatste moment getwijfeld om te.... Standaard.be (17 August 2014). Retrieved on 2021-08-08.
  9. ↑ "Abdi loopt olympische limiet 10.000 meter". Sporza.be (in Dutch). 3 May 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  10. ↑ NN Marathon Rotterdam 2018. sporthive.com
  11. ↑ Abdi bezorgt België eerste eremetaal op EK atletiek! – Tranen bij Renée Eykens na val – Drie op drie voor broers Borlée op 400m. hln.be. 7 August 2018
  12. ↑ Virgin Money London Marathon 2019 Archived 9 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Results.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com (28 April 2019). Retrieved on 2021-08-08.
  13. ↑ Race Results | Granite State Race Services. Gsrs.com (3 August 2019). Retrieved on 2021-08-08.
  14. ↑ Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Results.chicagomarathon.com. Retrieved on 8 August 2021.
  15. ↑ Tokyo Marathon 2020. marathon.tokyo
  16. 1 2 "Nageeye and Hailu triumph at Rotterdam Marathon". World Athletics. 10 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  17. ↑ Crumley, Euan (2 October 2022). "Kipruto's closing kick lands him London Marathon prize". AW. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  18. ↑ "Abdi triumphs in the Rotterdam Marathon in a world leading 2:03:47". European Athletics. 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
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