Two Olympic finals, one medal: the Berihu Aregawi olympics story runs from fourth place in Tokyo on 30 July 2021 to silver in Paris on 2 August 2024, both over 10,000m. Before either of those, he had already stood on an Olympic podium as a teenager, at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in October 2018.
Away from the Games, Aregawi is the 5 km road world record holder and a three-time world cross-country silver medallist; his full biography is on the main Berihu Aregawi page. This page covers his Olympic appearances only, with the season around each Games, as recorded by World Athletics.
Berihu Aregawi Olympics at a glance
| Games | Date | Event | Place | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youth Olympic Games, Buenos Aires 2018 | 11 Oct 2018 | 3000m (stage 1) | 2 | 8:09.17 |
| Youth Olympic Games, Buenos Aires 2018 | 15 Oct 2018 | Cross country 4 km (stage 2) | 2 | 11:13 |
| Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020 | 30 Jul 2021 | 10,000m final | 4 | 27:46.16 |
| Olympic Games, Paris 2024 | 2 Aug 2024 | 10,000m final | 2 | 26:43.44 |
In his World Athletics results, the 10,000m is his only event at both senior Games.
Every Games, race by race
Buenos Aires 2018: Youth Olympic silver
At the Youth Olympic Games, middle- and long-distance runners competed in a combined event made up of a track race and a cross-country race. Aregawi was second in both stages: 8:09.17 in the 3000m on 11 October 2018 and 11:13 over 4 km of cross country on 15 October. The combined result gave him the silver medal. It capped a big junior year in which he had also won world U20 bronze over 10,000m in Tampere (10 July 2018) and the African Youth Games 3000m title in Algiers (26 July 2018).
Tokyo 2020, held in 2021: fourth place
Aregawi came into his first senior Games as the new Ethiopian champion, having won the national 10,000m title in Addis Ababa on 6 April 2021. In the Olympic final on 30 July 2021 he finished fourth in 27:46.16. The gold went to his teammate Selemon Barega in 27:43.22, so Aregawi missed a medal while finishing less than three seconds behind the champion. Yomif Kejelcha, the third Ethiopian in the race, was seventh in 27:52.03.
His season went on after Tokyo. On 8 September 2021 he won the Diamond League final in Zürich, held that year as a 5 km road race, in 12:59, and on 31 December 2021 he set the 5 km road world record of 12:49 in Barcelona.
Paris 2024: Olympic silver
The build-up to Paris was the strongest of his career. He won the Elgoibar cross country on 7 January 2024, took world cross-country silver in Belgrade on 30 March and ran his 10,000m best of 26:31.13 in Nerja on 14 June. In the Olympic final on 2 August 2024 he won silver in 26:43.44. Ethiopia placed three men in the top six: Kejelcha was fifth in 26:44.02, only 0.58 seconds behind Aregawi, and Barega sixth in 26:44.48. More on his times at the distance is on the Berihu Aregawi 10000m page.
Paris did not end his summer. On 25 August 2024 in Chorzów he set the Ethiopian 3000m record of 7:21.28, and on 13 September he won the Diamond League final over 5000m in Brussels in 12:43.66.
Ethiopia in Aregawi's two finals
Both Olympic 10,000m finals Aregawi ran featured the same three Ethiopians, which makes them a useful comparison of the national team's leading men in that period.
| Athlete | Tokyo, 30 Jul 2021 | Paris, 2 Aug 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Berihu Aregawi | 4th, 27:46.16 | 2nd, 26:43.44 |
| Selemon Barega | 1st, 27:43.22 | 6th, 26:44.48 |
| Yomif Kejelcha | 7th, 27:52.03 | 5th, 26:44.02 |
Looking ahead to Los Angeles 2028
Since Paris, his only global 10,000m final has been the World Championships in Tokyo on 14 September 2025, where he finished twelfth in 29:02.02; on 10 January 2026 he added a third world cross-country silver in Tallahassee (28:36). The next Summer Olympic Games are in Los Angeles in 2028. As of 22 October 2026, nothing has been announced about Aregawi's plans for those Games, and his World Athletics profile shows no results after the Elgoibar cross country on 18 January 2026. Ethiopian team selection for 2028 has not been made, so we make no assumptions about who will run.
Where to watch the Olympics in Ethiopia
According to the published broadcaster lists, the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) showed Paris 2024 in Ethiopia. In May 2026, according to industry reports, the IOC sold free-to-air rights for 44 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia, to the agency MMS for the Games from the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar (31 October – 13 November 2026) to Brisbane 2032; as of 22 October 2026 the Ethiopian sublicensee had not been announced. Between Games, Aregawi's track and cross-country championships are free-to-air on Hagerie TV.
Official rights holders only, checked 22 October 2026. Rights change by event and season – check the broadcaster’s schedule before a race. We do not link to unofficial streams.
His Olympic results are also listed on his World Athletics profile. For other Ethiopian Olympians, visit our Ethiopian athletes hub.
Berihu Aregawi Olympics FAQ
Has Berihu Aregawi won an Olympic medal?
Yes. He won silver in the 10,000m at the Paris Olympics on 2 August 2024 in 26:43.44. He also won a silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018.
What did Aregawi do at the Tokyo Olympics?
He finished fourth in the 10,000m final on 30 July 2021 in 27:46.16, less than three seconds behind the winner, Selemon Barega.
Which Ethiopians ran the Paris 2024 10,000m final?
Berihu Aregawi (2nd, 26:43.44), Yomif Kejelcha (5th, 26:44.02) and Selemon Barega (6th, 26:44.48), on 2 August 2024.
Will Aregawi run at Los Angeles 2028?
As of 22 October 2026 no plans have been announced and Ethiopian selection for 2028 has not been made.