Yebrgual Melese

Yebrgual Melese

Melese (left) in 2014
Personal information
Born	Yebrgual Melese (1990-04-18)18 April 1990 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Died	12 May 2026(2026-05-12) (aged 36) Addis Ababa
Height	1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Weight	48 kg (106 lb)
Sport
Country	Ethiopia
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	10,000 metres, Marathon
Turned pro	2011
Achievements and titles
National finals	Ethiopian Athletics Federation 2013: 1st, 10,000 m
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Ethiopia All-Africa Games 2015 Brazzaville Half marathon World Marathon Majors 2015 Chicago Marathon

Yebrgual Melese Arage (born Yebrgual Melese; Amharic: የብርጓል መለሰ; 18 April 1990 – 12 May 2026) was an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She placed second at the 2015 Chicago Marathon, 2017 Frankfurt Marathon in 2:24:30, and 2025 Barcelona Marathon in 2:20:47. Melese won 2019 Shanghai International Marathon in 2:23:19 and the 2018 Shanghai International Marathon in 2:20:36.

Melese died on 12 May 2026, at the age of 36, after collapsing during a training session.^[1]

Career

At the 43rd Chevron Houston Marathon in 2016, Melese ran the second-fastest time ever by a woman in Houston.^[2]

Melese smashed the course record at the 19th edition of the Shanghai International Marathon in 2018.^[3][4]

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
10 kilometres
2011	Ethiopian Athletics Federation Track and Field Championships	Addis Ababa, Ethiopia	6th	10 km	33:35.49
	France Clermont-Ferrand Road 10 km	Clermont-Ferrand, France	3rd	10 km	32:54
2013	Ethiopian Athletics Federation Track and Field Championships	Addis Ababa, Ethiopia	1st	10 km	33:32.63
	Peachtree Road Race	Atlanta, GA, United States	3rd	10 km	32:16
	Beach to Beacon 10K	Cape Elizabeth, ME, United States	4th	10 km	31:40
2015	Great Ethiopian Run	Addis Ababa, Ethiopia	2nd	10 km	33:11
Representing  Ethiopia
2013	World Cross Country Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	29th	8 km	25:44
2015	All-Africa Games	Brazzaville, Congo	3rd	Half marathon	1:12:42
Marathons representing Nike
2014	Dubai Standard Chartered Marathon	Dubai, United Arab Emirates	13th	Marathon	2:29:46
	Paris Marathon	Paris, France	2nd	Marathon	2:26:21
	Gold Coast Airport Marathon	Gold Coast, Australia	4th	Marathon	2:32:49
2015	Houston Marathon	Houston, TX, United States	1st	Marathon	2:23:23
	Prague Marathon	Prague, Czech Republic	1st	Marathon	2:23:49
	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, IL, United States	2nd	Marathon	2:23:43
2016	Paris Marathon	Paris, France	5th	Marathon	2:32:06
	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, IL, United States	5th	Marathon	2:24:49
2017	Dubai Standard Chartered Marathon	Dubai, United Arab Emirates	3rd	Marathon	2:23:13
	Paris Marathon	Paris, France	5th	Marathon	2:22:51
	Frankfurt Marathon	Frankfurt am Main, Germany	2nd	Marathon	2:24:30
2018	Dubai Standard Chartered Marathon	Dubai, United Arab Emirates	3rd	Marathon	2:19:36
	Dongying Yellow River Marathon	Dongying, China	2nd	Marathon	2:27:47
	Shanghai International Marathon	Shanghai, China	1st	Marathon	2:20:36 CR
Half marathons representing Nike
2014	Paris Half Marathon	Paris, France	1st	Half marathon	1:09:23
2015	Paris Half Marathon	Paris, France	1st	Half marathon	1:09:54
	Prague Half Marathon	Prague, Czech Republic	2nd	Half marathon	1:08:21
2018	Portugal Half Marathon	Lisbon, Portugal	1st	Half marathon	1:07:18 CR[5]

Personal bests

Personal Life

Melese is survived by her husband, and two children.^[6][7]

References

External links

• Yebrgual Melese at World Athletics