On 15 March 2026 Fotyen Tesfay finished her first marathon, in Barcelona, in 2:10:51. World Athletics lists that time as the Ethiopian national record, and Track & Field News described it as the fastest debut ever by a woman and the second-fastest women’s marathon in history at the time. Until that morning Fotyen Tesfay was known mainly as a track and road runner: seventh in the 10,000m final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and eighth in the same event at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.
Below we follow her path from a youth title in Botswana in 2014 to the road wins of 2025 and 2026, using the results in her World Athletics profile (checked on 22 October 2026). The Barcelona race and her planned second start are covered in detail on Fotyen Tesfay marathon, and national, course and personal bests are collected under Fotyen Tesfay record.
| Born | 17 February 1998 |
|---|---|
| Events | Marathon, Half marathon, 10 km road, 10,000m, 5000m |
| Personal bests | Marathon – 2:10:51 (NR), 2026 Half marathon – 1:03:21, 2024 10,000 m – 29:47.71, 2024 5000 m – 14:28.53, 2024 |
Data: World Athletics, checked 22 October 2026. Results and records change after every race.
First steps: a youth title and junior championships
World Athletics gives her date of birth as 17 February 1998. Sources disagree on where she was born and we could not confirm it from a primary source, so we do not state it here.
The first entry in her profile is a gold medal. On 28 May 2014 she won the 1500m at the African Youth Games in Gaborone, Botswana, in 4:23.37. Two years later she moved up in distance: on 20 July 2016 she placed fourth in the 3000m at the IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in 8:47.46, and in the same year she won the 10 km of the Great Ethiopian Run in Addis Ababa in 33:10.
Cross country was the other school of her junior years. At the World Cross Country Championships in Kampala on 26 March 2017 she was sixth in the U20 race (19:24). In February 2018 she ran 8:41.08 for 3000m indoors in Boston, a time that is still her best at that distance in the World Athletics database as of October 2026. In 2019 she tried the half marathon for the first time, finishing eighth at the Great North Run in 1:10:26, and on 30 March 2019 she was 11th in the senior race of the World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus, Denmark (37:29).
A career in stages: from the track to the roads
2020–2022: a gap in the results
Her World Athletics profile has no results for 2020 or 2021 and a single entry for 2022. According to Runner’s World Germany, the break was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have no other information about this period and do not speculate about it.
2023: cross country and two road wins
The comeback season started with fifth place in the individual race at the 2023 World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia (34:30). On the roads she won the Peachtree 10K and, on 12 November 2023, the B.A.A. Half Marathon in 1:08:46. The database counts three wins for her in 2023.
2024: Olympic finalist
With ten starts in the database, 2024 was her busiest season. On 14 June 2024 she won the Ethiopian 10,000m trial in Nerja, Spain, in 29:47.71, which remains her best on the track. At the Paris Olympics on 9 August 2024 she finished seventh in the 10,000m final in 30:46.93. Later that year she ran 14:28.53 for 5000m in Brussels (14 September 2024) and 1:03:21 for second place at the Valencia Half Marathon on 27 October 2024 — still her fastest half marathon as of October 2026.
2025: Berlin half and the Tokyo final
She opened 2025 with 29:42 for 10 km on the road in Valencia on 12 January. On 6 April 2025 she won the Berlin Half Marathon in 1:03:35, reported as a course record. At the World Championships in Tokyo she lined up in the 10,000m final again and finished eighth on 13 September 2025 in 31:21.67.
2026: Barcelona and Buenos Aires
Both of her 2026 races were wins. After Barcelona in March she returned to the half marathon in Buenos Aires on 23 August 2026 and won in 1:03:57, reported as an event record. Her training group is coached by Gemedu Dedefo and, according to Track & Field News, includes Tigst Assefa and Tamirat Tola.
Major titles and medals
| Year | Competition | City | Event | Place | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | African Youth Games | Gaborone | 1500m | 1st | 4:23.37 |
| 2016 | IAAF World U20 Championships | Bydgoszcz | 3000m | 4th | 8:47.46 |
| 2017 | World Cross Country Championships | Kampala | U20 race | 6th | 19:24 |
| 2019 | World Cross Country Championships | Aarhus | Senior race | 11th | 37:29 |
| 2023 | World Cross Country Championships | Bathurst | Senior race | 5th | 34:30 |
| 2023 | B.A.A. Half Marathon | Boston | Half marathon | 1st | 1:08:46 |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris | 10,000m | 7th | 30:46.93 |
| 2025 | Berlin Half Marathon | Berlin | Half marathon | 1st | 1:03:35 |
| 2025 | World Championships | Tokyo | 10,000m | 8th | 31:21.67 |
| 2026 | Barcelona Marathon | Barcelona | Marathon | 1st | 2:10:51 |
| 2026 | Buenos Aires Half Marathon | Buenos Aires | Half marathon | 1st | 1:03:57 |
Fotyen Tesfay in 2026: race by race
As of 22 October 2026 World Athletics shows two races for her this year, both finals and both won.
| Date | Race | City | Event | Place | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Mar 2026 | Zurich Marató de Barcelona | Barcelona | Marathon | 1st | 2:10:51 |
| 23 Aug 2026 | Media Maratón Ciudad de Buenos Aires | Buenos Aires | Half marathon | 1st | 1:03:57 |
The official results in Buenos Aires list her under her full name, Fotyen Tesfay Haylu. Five months separated the two wins, and the Valencia Marathon on 6 December 2026 comes about three and a half months after Buenos Aires.
How many races has Fotyen Tesfay run and won?
Her World Athletics profile, counted on 22 October 2026, holds 47 results from 2014 to 2026 — all of them finals, with no heats and no DNF or disqualification. Eleven of those 47 are wins in finals. The busiest year was 2024 (10 starts, 2 wins), the most successful 2023 (7 starts, 3 wins) and 2026 so far is a perfect two from two. These figures come from the World Athletics database, where heats and finals are counted separately and the record may be incomplete; minor races are often missing.
| Year | Starts | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1 | 1 |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016 | 3 | 1 |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | 5 | 1 |
| 2019 | 6 | 0 |
| 2020–2021 | — | — |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 7 | 3 |
| 2024 | 10 | 2 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 |
| 2026 | 2 | 2 |
In its honours summary World Athletics credits her with six top-eight finishes at global championships: one at the Olympic Games, one at the World Championships, one at the World U20 Championships and three at the World Cross Country Championships (as of 22 October 2026).
The World Athletics rankings tell a similar story. Her best placing is No. 2 in the women’s road running ranking, a position she held for 54 weeks, followed by No. 5 in the 10,000m, No. 7 in the 5000m and No. 13 in the marathon (best placings as listed on 22 October 2026).
Next race: Valencia on 6 December 2026
As of 22 October 2026 her next start is the Valencia Marathon on 6 December 2026. The organisers named her in the elite field on 2 July 2026, so the start is confirmed by the race; start lists can still change before race day. Several running media, including Marathon Handbook and Canadian Running, have described the race as a planned world-record attempt. The same organiser announcement named Yomif Kejelcha in the men’s race.
Other road and track meetings in the coming months are listed in our overview of Ethiopian athletes.
Where to watch Fotyen Tesfay race
The Valencia organisers stream the elite race on their official website with Spanish and English commentary. For 2025 the race was also listed on StarTimes and SuperSport for viewers in Ethiopia; the 2026 broadcaster list had not been published as of 22 October 2026. Channels and streams we have verified for athletics in Ethiopia:
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.
Fotyen Tesfay FAQ
Is Fotyen Tesfay Hailu the same athlete as Fotyen Tesfay?
Yes. The official results of the Buenos Aires Half Marathon on 23 August 2026 list her as Fotyen Tesfay Haylu, also spelled “Hailu”; World Athletics uses the shorter form Fotyen Tesfay.
How old is Fotyen Tesfay?
World Athletics gives her date of birth as 17 February 1998.
Who is Fotyen Tesfay’s agent or manager?
As of 22 October 2026 her World Athletics profile lists Monica Pont Chafer of Spain as her authorised athlete representative.
Who coaches Fotyen Tesfay, and who does she train with?
Her coach is Gemedu Dedefo. Track & Field News and Runner’s World Germany report that she trains in the same group as Tigst Assefa and Tamirat Tola.
What are Fotyen Tesfay’s height and weight?
Her World Athletics profile does not list height or weight (checked on 22 October 2026), and we found no reliable source for either, so we do not publish them.
What did Fotyen Tesfay run in Buenos Aires?
She won the Buenos Aires Half Marathon on 23 August 2026 in 1:03:57; race reports described the time as an event record.