Gudaf Tsegay is an Ethiopian runner who has won world titles at three distances: the 1500m indoors (2022 and 2025), the 5000m (2022) and the 10,000m (2023). Her record also includes an Olympic bronze from Tokyo in 2021, the 2023 Diamond Trophy and an indoor 1500m world record set in February 2021.
Below we follow Gudaf Tsegay season by season, from her first races in Belgium in 2013 to her last start in New York in October 2025, list her major medals with dates and venues, and explain where her career stands as of 22 October 2026, after a year in which she did not compete.
| Born | 23 January 1997 |
|---|---|
| Birthplace | Tigray Region |
| Events | 800m, 1500m, Mile, 3000m, 5000m |
| Personal bests | 1500 m (indoor) – 3:53.09 (WR), 2021 1500 m – 3:50.30, 2024 5000 m – 14:00.21 (NR), 2023 10,000 m – 29:05.92, 2024 |
Data: World Athletics, checked 22 October 2026. Results and records change after every race.
Roots in Tigray and a teenage start
World Athletics gives her date of birth as 23 January 1997. Published biographies name Bora, in the Alaje area of the Tigray Region in northern Ethiopia, as her home village. The oldest entries in her World Athletics profile date from 2013: a third place over 1500m in Addis Ababa (4:27.3, hand-timed), followed by two wins in Belgium that summer – 4:12.27 in Heusden-Zolder and 4:07.27 in Ninove – at the age of 16.
According to The Reporter Ethiopia, she met the long-distance runner Hiluf Yihdego in Mekele. When injuries halted his own running, he took over her coaching, and she moved to Addis Ababa, where their training group gradually grew. We cover her childhood years and the dates behind the Gudaf Tsegay age question on a separate page.
The first international medal came on 27 July 2014 at the World U20 Championships in Eugene: silver over 1500m in 4:10.83. Earlier that year, in Stockholm, she ran 4:08.47 indoors, a world U18 best at the time.
A career in four stages
2015–2018: from junior medals to the Diamond League
On 19 March 2016 she took bronze over 1500m at the World Indoor Championships in Portland (4:05.71). That August she ran the 800m at the Rio Olympic Games, finishing fourth in her heat in 2:00.13. A year later, at the 2017 World Championships in London, she reached the 1500m semi-finals.
The breakthrough on the professional circuit came on 10 June 2018, when she won the 1500m at the Bauhaus-galan in Stockholm in 3:57.64 – her first Diamond League victory. The same season she tried the 5000m for the first time and placed fourth at the Prefontaine Classic in 14:51.30.
2019–2021: global podiums and an indoor landmark
The 2019 World Championships in Doha brought her first senior outdoor medal: bronze over 1500m on 5 October 2019 in 3:54.38. In January 2020 she ran a 10 km road best of 32:18 in Jaén, Spain.
February 2021 was the most remarkable fortnight of her early career. On 9 February 2021 in Liévin she ran 3:53.09 for 1500m indoors, and five days later she set an Ethiopian indoor 800m record of 1:57.52 in Val-de-Reuil. The full story of the Liévin run and of her 5000m mark is on our Gudaf Tsegay world record page. Later that year she made her 10,000m debut in Maia (29:39.42) and, on 2 August 2021, won bronze over 5000m at the Tokyo Games in 14:38.87.
2022–2023: world titles on the track and the Diamond Trophy
The 2022 season opened with gold over 1500m at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade (19 March, 3:57.19). At the World Championships in Eugene she won silver in the 1500m on 18 July 2022 (3:54.52) and, five days later, gold in the 5000m in 14:46.29.
In 2023 she won Diamond League races in Rabat (1500m, 28 May, 3:54.03) and London (5000m, 23 July, 14:12.29), then became world champion over 10,000m in Budapest on 19 August 2023 in 31:27.18. A week later she was 13th in the 5000m final. The season ended on 17 September 2023 at the Diamond League Final in Eugene, where she won the 5000m in 14:00.21 and took the Diamond Trophy.
2024–2025: three events in Paris and a second indoor crown
At the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow on 2 March 2024 she won silver over 3000m (8:21.13). On 20 April 2024 she ran a 1500m best of 3:50.30 to win in Xiamen, and on 25 May 2024 she clocked 29:05.92 for 10,000m in Eugene. At the Paris Games in August 2024 she started in three finals: ninth in the 5000m, sixth in the 10,000m and 12th in the 1500m.
In 2025 she regained the world indoor 1500m title in Nanjing (23 March, 3:54.86), won the mile at the London Diamond League on 19 July 2025 in an Ethiopian record of 4:11.88 and added a 1500m win in Chorzów on 16 August. At the World Championships in Tokyo she took bronze in the 10,000m on 13 September 2025 (30:39.65) and was fifth in the 5000m a week later. Her most recent race as of 22 October 2026 was the mile at the Athlos meeting in New York on 10 October 2025, where she finished second.
Major titles and medals
| Date | Competition | City | Event | Place | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jul 2014 | World U20 Championships | Eugene | 1500m | 2 | 4:10.83 |
| 19 Mar 2016 | World Indoor Championships | Portland | 1500m | 3 | 4:05.71 |
| 5 Oct 2019 | World Championships | Doha | 1500m | 3 | 3:54.38 |
| 2 Aug 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo | 5000m | 3 | 14:38.87 |
| 19 Mar 2022 | World Indoor Championships | Belgrade | 1500m | 1 | 3:57.19 |
| 18 Jul 2022 | World Championships | Eugene | 1500m | 2 | 3:54.52 |
| 23 Jul 2022 | World Championships | Eugene | 5000m | 1 | 14:46.29 |
| 19 Aug 2023 | World Championships | Budapest | 10,000m | 1 | 31:27.18 |
| 17 Sep 2023 | Diamond League Final | Eugene | 5000m | 1 | 14:00.21 |
| 2 Mar 2024 | World Indoor Championships | Glasgow | 3000m | 2 | 8:21.13 |
| 23 Mar 2025 | World Indoor Championships | Nanjing | 1500m | 1 | 3:54.86 |
| 13 Sep 2025 | World Championships | Tokyo | 10,000m | 3 | 30:39.65 |
Indoor events are run on a short track. In total, as of 22 October 2026 World Athletics credits her with seven Diamond League meeting wins and records 79 weeks at No. 1 in its women's 5000m world ranking.
How many races has Gudaf Tsegay run and won?
From 2013 to 2025 she has 147 results in the World Athletics database (heats and finals counted separately; the database may be incomplete): 128 finals, 19 heats and semi-finals, 47 wins in finals and one race not finished or disqualified. Her most successful seasons by this count were 2021 and 2023, each with eight wins in finals. You can check every entry on her World Athletics profile.
| Year | Races | Wins in finals |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 5 | 2 |
| 2014 | 10 | 1 |
| 2015 | 11 | 3 |
| 2016 | 12 | 0 |
| 2017 | 13 | 1 |
| 2018 | 12 | 3 |
| 2019 | 16 | 3 |
| 2020 | 6 | 4 |
| 2021 | 10 | 8 |
| 2022 | 16 | 6 |
| 2023 | 10 | 8 |
| 2024 | 12 | 3 |
| 2025 | 14 | 5 |
2026: a season without racing
She did not race in 2026, so there is no season table for that year. The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) gave her a four-month period of ineligibility, from 1 June to 30 September 2026, after letrozole was found in an out-of-competition sample collected on 5 December 2025.
The AIU accepted that the medicine had been prescribed to her as part of fertility treatment and found No Significant Fault or Negligence. According to reports on the decision, she met the criteria for a therapeutic use exemption, but WADA refused to grant one retroactively. Results from 5 December 2025 onwards were annulled; since her last race had been on 10 October 2025, no competition result was affected.
In June 2026 she announced that she is expecting her first child and said she intends to return to competition after the birth.
When is the next race? Status as of 22 October 2026
As of 22 October 2026 no start for her has been announced by any organiser or reported by the media. The ineligibility period ended on 30 September 2026, but there is no confirmed date for her return.
For orientation, these are the main track meetings of the coming season – races to watch, not races she has entered: the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold opens in Belgrade on 27 January 2027 (confirmed), with stops reported for Liévin on 11 February and Toruń on 14 February 2027. The Diamond League season starts in Doha on 7 May 2027 (confirmed), and the World Championships follow in Beijing in September 2027. There is no World Indoor Championships in 2027. The wider calendar for Ethiopian runners is on our Ethiopian athletes hub, together with profiles such as Tigst Assefa.
Where to watch Gudaf Tsegay
When she returns, her races will most likely be on the track. In Ethiopia, Diamond League meetings have been shown on SuperSport (pay TV), while World Athletics Series events such as the 2027 World Championships are licensed to Hagerie TV on free-to-air. The list below shows only official rights holders, as checked on 22 October 2026.
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.
Gudaf Tsegay FAQ
Why was Gudaf Tsegay suspended in 2026?
The AIU gave her a four-month period of ineligibility (1 June – 30 September 2026) after letrozole was found in a sample collected on 5 December 2025. The AIU accepted that the medicine was prescribed for fertility treatment and found No Significant Fault or Negligence.
Is Gudaf Tsegay's suspension over?
Yes. The period ended on 30 September 2026. As of 22 October 2026 she has not announced a race.
How many world titles has Gudaf Tsegay won?
Four: the 5000m in Eugene (2022), the 10,000m in Budapest (2023) and the world indoor 1500m in Belgrade (2022) and Nanjing (2025).
Who is her coach?
Her coach is Hiluf Yihdego, a former long-distance runner who leads her training group in Addis Ababa.
Has she won an Olympic medal?
Yes – bronze in the 5000m at the Tokyo Games on 2 August 2021, in 14:38.87. At Paris 2024 her best placing was sixth in the 10,000m.
What is the latest news about Gudaf Tsegay?
As of 22 October 2026 she has not raced since 10 October 2025 and no return date has been announced. Her indoor 1500m world record from 2021 was still in place on that date.