Atelaw Yeshetela Bekele

Who is Atelaw Yeshetela Bekele?

Atelaw Yeshetela is an Ethiopian-born long-distance runner who competes internationally for Belgium. He was the winner at the European Cross Country Championships in 2011. His personal bests on the track are 13:43.20 minutes for the 5000 metres and 29:47.60 minutes for the 10,000 metres. He is no relation to Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele.

Having moved to Belgium at the age of sixteen, he became a naturalised citizen of Belgium in November 2008. His first international appearance for his adopted country came at the 2008 European Cross Country Championships. He ran in the under-23 section of the competition, but failed to finish the race.

He had his first track running season in 2009, setting a 10,000 metres personal best at the Belgian Championships with a time of 29:47.60 minutes for second place. He gained selection in that event for the 2009 European Athletics U23 Championships, but again failed to finish on the international stage. Returning to the cross country running circuit, he had his first successes: he won the Lotto Cross Cup race in Mol and went on to claim the bronze medal in the under-23 race at the 2009 European Cross Country Championships.