Marathon Runner and Mom of Two Dies at 36 After Collapsing While Preparing for Upcoming Race

Marathon Runner Dies After Collapsing While Preparing for Upcoming Race
Credit: Michal Krumphanzl/CTK Photo/Alamy Live News

NEED TO KNOW

• Yebrgual Melese was training for the Ottawa marathon when she experienced a sudden medical emergency in Addis Ababa
• She achieved a personal best of 2:19:36 at the 2018 Dubai Marathon, breaking the 2:20 barrier
• Melese is survived by her husband and two young children

Ethiopian long-distance runner Yebrgual Melese has died, according to the country's athletic federation. She was 36.

Melese was in the midst of training to compete in the Ottawa International Marathon in Canada on Sunday, May 24, when she “suddenly” died, according to a Tuesday, May 12 statement on social media from the Ethiopian Athletic Federation.

BBC said according to local media reports, she experienced a sudden medical emergency in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

She was rushed to the hospital but despite the efforts of medical staff she was pronounced dead.

In a statement issued on social media on Tuesday, May 12, the governing body said: “The Ethiopian Athletics Federation expresses its deep sorrow over the sudden passing of this heroic athlete and offers condolences to her family, friends and fans.”

No further details surrounding her cause of death have been made public at this time.

Melese won both the Prague and Houston marathons in 2015 and the Shanghai Marathon in 2018.

She cemented her place among the world's elite distance runners at the 2018 Dubai Marathon, where she posted a personal best time of 2:19:36 and became one of the few women at the time to break the 2:20 mark.

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