Bashir Abdi was born in El Afweyne.[3] When he was eight, his family moved to Djibouti. He then spent a year and a half in Ethiopia, before settling in Belgium, where his mother had initiated a family reunification procedure after having received recognition as a political refugee.[6] There, aged 16, he started training at the Racing Club Gent Athletics, following his brother Ibrahim.[2] His mother always supported him being an athlete when no one else in his family would and when she died of cancer in 2011, on her last day, she impressed upon her children that as "this country has meant so much to all of you, be good people".[6]
Abdi is married and has a daughter, Kadra, born 2018, and a son Ibrahim; born 2020. He is a co-founder and vice-chairman of the non-profit organization Sportaround, which organizes after-school sports activities for children in Ghent.[2]
In 2019, he was second at the Big Half Marathon in London with a time of 1:01:16 in a close finish with race winner Mo Farah and third placer Daniel Wanjiru. Abdi then competed in the London Marathon, placing seventh in a time of 2:07:03 in a race won by Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge in 2:02:37.[12] In August, he was second in the Beach to Beacon 10 km in the United States, finishing in 28:35. The race was initially won by Kenya's Alex Korio, however he was disqualified. Jairus Birech came in second.[13] Abdi headed back to Newcastle upon Tyne where he again raced the Great North Run half marathon, finishing fifth in a time of 1:01:11, the race was won by Farah. In October, Abdi ran in the Chicago Marathon, placing fifth with a time of 2:06:14, the race was won by Kenya's Lawrence Cherono in 2:05:45 in a sprint finish.[14] Abdi next raced at the Montferland Run 15 km, finishing fifth in a time of 42:29. On New Year's Eve in Spain he won the San Silvestre Vallecana 10k m in Madrid with a time of 27:47.
2020–present: Marathon breakthrough
Abdi opened his 2020 racing campaign by winning the Egmond Half Marathon. He then achieved his first marathon podium position by placing second in the Tokyo Marathon in a new personal best time of 2:04:49. He passed Ethiopia's Sisay Lemma in the closing stages to finish behind the race winner Ethiopia's Birhanu Legese, who ran a time of 2:04:15.[15] Abdi returned to the track in September competing at the Memorial Van Damme in the one hour race. He ran the majority of the race with Farah, taking the lead and setting a European record at 20,000 m of 56:20.02. He finished second behind Farah setting a mark of 21,322 metres.[1]
Bashir Abdi set a European record at the 2021 Rotterdam Marathon. In 2023 (pictured), he regained his title.
In 2021, Abdi was second behind Farah at the Djibouti International Half Marathon with a time of 1:03:11. He then placed second at the European 10,000 m Cup in Birmingham in a new personal best of 27:24.41. This performance qualified him for the 10,000 m event at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He focused on the marathon at the Games, however, winning the bronze medal[2] and the first medal for Belgium in the Olympic marathon event since Karel Lismont’s medal 45 years ago.[6] The finish of the marathon provided one of the most enduring images of the 2024 Summer Olympics as Abdi's good friend, Dutch athlete and silver medal winner Abdi Nageeye, also of Somali descent, cheered and encouraged his exhausted Belgian training partner to stay with him as they battled for the medals with Kenya's Lawrence Cherono.[16] In October, Abdi won the rescheduled Rotterdam Marathon, setting a European record with a time of 2:03:36.[17]
In April 2023, Abdi regained his Rotterdam Marathon title in a time of 2:03:47, clocking a significant negative second half split of 61:32, setting the second fastest European time in history as he missed his own continental record by just 11 seconds.[19]
At the beginning of 2024 Abdi, while on altitude training in Ethiopia, suffered a sacral stress fracture and was forced to interrupt training for 6 weeks, preventing him to run a spring marathon in preparation for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.[20] He returned to competition in the Great Manchester Run, his first race since his injury, and set a Belgian record in the 10 km on the road.[21] At the 2024 Summer Olympics, he finished 2nd, winning Belgium's only silver medal at the Games.[22]
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