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Gemechu Dida
	2023 African Games
Personal information
Full name	Gemechu Dida Diriba
Nationality	Ethiopia
Born	12 September 1999 (25 years, 105 days old)
Height	171 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	54 kg (119 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	10K run; Half marathon
Achievements and titles
National finals	2021 Ethiopian Champs; • 5000m, 4th; 2022 Ethiopian Champs; • 10,000m, 3rd ;
Personal best(s)	10K: 27:12 (2023); HM: 59:21 (2022)
Medal record
Representing Ethiopia
African Games
African Championships
	Updated on 15 January 2024

Gemechu Dida Diriba (born 12 September 1999) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner specializing in road running. He was the winner of the 2022 Great Ethiopian Run, and he has also achieved wins at the Lille Half Marathon 10K and KBC Night of Athletics 5000 m.

Career

Dida debuted at the 2017 Great Ethiopian Run, finishing 6th in 29:21 representing the Adidas Development Group.^[2] He ran two indoor 3000 m races in 2018, finishing 5th at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix and 6th at the Adidas Games in Boston with a best time of 7:42.14.^[3]^[1]

Dida achieved his first international championship experience in 2019, when he was selected to represent Ethiopia at the 2019 African Games following his 13:17.47 5000 m performance at that year's Fanny Blankers-Koen Games. In his African Games final, Dida finished 10th in 13:46.40.^[4]

After recording only two races in 2020, Dida competed in his first national final in 2021, finishing 4th over 5000 m at the Ethiopian Athletics Championships and then finishing 10th at their separate 5000 m Olympic trials two months later in Hengelo.^[5]^[1] Dida won the 2021 KBC Night of Athletics 5000 m in 13:14.39 over heavy rainfall, earning him the moniker "lord and master".^[6]

On 23 January 2022, Dida achieved the highest profile win of his career at the Great Ethiopian Run 10K road race. There was a large pack of runners in the beginning of the race, with six athletes still in the lead pack at 9,500 metres. Dida out-kicked the Dubai Marathon winner Getaneh Molla to win in a surprise victory. His winning time of 28:24 was only five seconds slower than the course record.^[7]^[8]^[9] Having moved up in distance to the 10,000 m, Dida would win the bronze medal at that year's Ethiopian Athletics Championships and would set a half marathon best of 59:21 in his debut at the Romaostia Half Marathon.^[10]^[1]

Dida finished 5th at the Ethiopian trials for the 2023 World Athletics Championships 10,000 m, held in Nerja.^[11] He would nonetheless achieve wins at the 2023 Lille Half Marathon 10K and the Urban Trail de Lille 10K, the former in a personal best of 27:12.^[12]^[1]