Khairi Bejiga
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 April 2006 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | Long-distance running |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal bests | 5000m: 13:03.27 (Lausanne, 2026) Road 5 km: 13:14 (Al Khobar, 2025) 10 km: 26:52 NU20B (Valencia, 2026) |
Khairi Bejiga (born 27 April 2006) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He set the Ethiopian best under-20 time in the 10K run whilst competing in 2025.[1]
Biography
Bejiga finished eleventh over 5000 metres on 16 May at the 2025 Doha Diamond League.[2] Competing at the Meeting Nikaia, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting on 31 May 2025, he finished runner-up behind Eritrea’s Saymon Amanuel, but ahead of Niels Laros, running 13:06.95. in Nice, France.[3][4] The following month, he lowered his personal best for the distance at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku to 13:06.53.[5]
On his debut 10 km road race, he won the tRUNsylvania 10K – a World Athletics Elite Label road race in Brasov, Romania in October 2025. His winning time of 26:54 equalled the fastest ever debut over the distance, equalling the time of Sabastian Sawe from 2022, and placed second fastest on the all-time U20 list.[6][7] He was also only 3 seconds outside the course record held by Nicholas Kimeli.[8][9]
On 11 January 2026, he placed second over 10 km in Valencia behind Andreas Almgren, running a personal best 26:52.[10] In May, he ran a personal best 13:06.45 for the 5000 metres as he placed sixth overall at the 2026 Xiamen Diamond League.[11] Competing in the Diamond League at the 2026 Athletissima in Lausanne, Switzerland on 21 August 2026, he placed ninth over 5000 metres in a personal best 13:03.27.[12]
References
- ↑ "Khairi Bejiga". World Athletics. Retrieved 3 Jan 2026.
- ↑ "Results - Doha Diamond League 2025". Watch Athletics. 16 May 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ↑ Mills, Steven (1 Jun 2025). "Tual moves to second on European all-time 600m list with 1:14.01 in Nice". European Athletics. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ↑ "Meeting Nikaia". World Athletics. 29 May 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ↑ "Paavo Nurmi Games". World Athletics. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ↑ "Teenager Bejiga breaks 27 minutes in Brasov". World Athletics. 5 October 2025. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ↑ Kelsall, Christopher (October 5, 2025). "Stunning debut for Ethiopia's Khairi Bejiga, wins 2025 tRUNsylvania 10K in second fastest U20 time ever". Athletics Illustrated. Retrieved 3 Jan 2026.
- ↑ "Kenyans Stunned As Ethiopians Dominate At 2025 TRUNsylvania 10K". Capital FM. 5 October 2025. Retrieved 3 Jan 2026.
- ↑ Adams, Tim (6 October 2025). "KHAIRI BEJIGA EDGES OUT MAXIME CHAUMETON AT TRUNSYLVANIA 10K". World Athletics. Retrieved 3 Jan 2026.
- ↑ Mills, Steven (11 Jan 2026). "European record! Almgren smashes his European 10km record with 26:46 in Valencia". European Athletics. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
- ↑ "Results - Xiamen Diamond League 2026". Watch Athletics. 23 May 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "Results - Lausanne Diamond League 2026". Watch Athletics. 21 August 2026. Retrieved 22 August 2026.