Misgana Wakuma secures silver in the men’s half-marathon race walk, marking a milestone for Ethiopian and African athletics

Ethiopia has achieved a historic breakthrough in international race walking after Misgana Wakuma won the country’s first-ever medal at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Brasilia, Brazil. The Ethiopian athlete secured a silver medal in the men’s half-marathon race walk, finishing with an impressive time of 1:27:33.

According to Fana Media Corporation, a partner of TV BRICS, this landmark achievement represents not only Ethiopia’s first medal in the history of the championships but also the best result ever recorded by an African male athlete in the discipline.

The Ethiopian Athletics Federation hailed the performance as a significant milestone, reflecting the country’s growing investment in race walking and the steady emergence of new talent on the global stage. Wakuma had previously demonstrated strong potential at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where he set a national record and finished among the world’s top competitors.

Ethiopia also delivered encouraging performances in other events during the championships. In the women’s 10 km race for athletes under 20, Hiwot Ambaw finished ninth with a personal best time of 48:52. In the men’s 10 km under-20 event, Abduselam Abdulwahab placed eleventh, also achieving a personal best of 42:21. These results underscore the country’s expanding talent pool and its commitment to developing athletes across different age categories.

The championships in Brasilia marked a historic edition of the event, introducing new half-marathon and marathon race-walk formats and attracting participation from more than 40 nations.

African Times published this article in partnership with International Media Network TV BRICS