View source for Meseret Defar

{{short description|Ethiopian long-distance runner (born 1983)|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
|name           = Meseret Defar
|image          = 5106 defar 3000m (26069156306).jpg
|caption        = Defar in 2016
|nationality    = Ethiopian
|birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1983|11|19|df=y}}
|birth_place    = [[Addis Ababa]], [[Derg|Ethiopia]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Meseret Defar|url=http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/ethiopia/meseret-defar-171229#biography|work=iaaf.org|publisher=[[International Association of Athletics Federations]]|access-date=9 February 2014}}</ref>
|height         = {{convert|155|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Meseret Defar|url=http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/athletes/_/athlete/39442/meseret-defar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120808091934/http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/athletes/_/athlete/39442/meseret-defar|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 8, 2012|work=[[ESPN]]|publisher=[[ESPN]] Internet Ventures|access-date=9 February 2014}}</ref>
|weight         = {{convert|42|kg|lb|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Meseret Defar|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/de/meseret-defar-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417174602/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/de/meseret-defar-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|work=Sports-reference.com|publisher=[[Sports Reference]] |access-date=9 February 2014}}</ref>
|country        = {{ETH}}
|sport          = [[Athletics (sport)|Athletics]]
|event          = [[3000 metres]], [[5000 metres]]
|show-medals    = no
|medaltemplates = 
{{MedalCount
|[[Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]|2|1|0
|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]|2|1|2
|{{nowrap|[[IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]}}|4|1|1
|[[African Championships in Athletics|African Championships]]|1|3|0
|[[IAAF World Junior Championships in Athletics|World Junior Championships]]|2|1|0
|[[IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics|World Youth Championships]]|0|1|0
|'''Total'''|'''11'''|'''8'''|'''3'''
}}
{{Medal|Olympic}} 
{{Medal|Gold|[[2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Athens]]|[[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's 5000 metres|5000 m]]}} 
{{Medal|Gold|[[2012 Summer Olympics|2012 London]]|[[Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics - Women's 5000 metres|5000 m]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Beijing]]|[[Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's 5000 metres|5000 m]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[2007 World Championships in Athletics|2007 Osaka]]|[[2007 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 5000 metres|5000 m]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[2011 World Championships in Athletics|2013 Moscow]]|[[2013 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 5000 metres|5000 m]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[2005 World Championships in Athletics|2005 Helsinki]]|[[2005 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 5000 metres|5000 m]]}} 
{{Medal|Bronze|[[2009 World Championships in Athletics|2009 Berlin]]|[[2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 5000 metres|5000 m]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[2011 World Championships in Athletics|2011 Daegu]]|[[2011 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 5000 metres|5000 m]]}} 
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]}} 
{{Medal|Gold|[[2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2004 Budapest]]|[[2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 3000 metres|3000 m]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2006 Moskva]]|[[2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 3000 metres|3000 m]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2008 Valencia]]|[[2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 3000 metres|3000 m]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2010 Doha]]|[[2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 3000 metres|3000 m]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2012 Istanbul]]|[[2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 3000 metres|3000 m]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2016 Portland]]|[[2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 3000 metres|3000 m]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2003 Birmingham]]|[[2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 3000 metres|3000 m]]}} 
{{MedalCompetition|[[All-Africa Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2003 All-Africa Games|2003 Abuja]]|[[Athletics at the 2003 All-Africa Games – Women's 5000 metres|5000 m]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2007 All-Africa Games|2007 Algiers]]|[[Athletics at the 2007 All-Africa Games – Women's 5000 metres|5000 m]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[African Championships in Athletics|African Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[2006 African Championships in Athletics|2006 Bambous]]|5000 m}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[2000 African Championships in Athletics|2000 Algiers]]|5000 m}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[2008 African Championships in Athletics|2008 Addis Ababa]]|5000 m}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[2010 African Championships in Athletics|2010 Nairobi]]|5000 m}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Junior Championships in Athletics|World Junior Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[2002 World Junior Championships in Athletics|2002 Kingston]]|3000 m}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[2002 World Junior Championships in Athletics|2002 Kingston]]|5000 m}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics|2000 Santiago]]|5000 m}} 
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics|World Youth Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[1999 World Youth Championships in Athletics|1999 Bydgoszcz]]|3000 m}}
}}
'''Meseret Defar Tola''' ([[Amharic]]: መሠረት ደፋር; born 19 November 1983) is an Ethiopian [[Long-distance track event|long-distance]] [[Running|runner]] who competes chiefly in the [[3000 metres|3,000 metres]] and [[5000 metres|5,000 metres]] events. She has won medals at top-tier international competitions including [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] and [[World Championships in Athletics|World Championship]] [[gold medal]]s over 5,000 metres. She broke the [[world records in athletics|world record]] in the event in 2006, broke it again in 2007 and held it until 2008, when fellow Ethiopian [[Tirunesh Dibaba]] beat her time.

In 2007 on a track in Brussels Belgium, she became the only woman with a 2-mile run in less than 9 minutes (8:58.58). This was an improvement on the world record by 11 seconds.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://newsok.com/article/3126102|title=Defar Sets World Record in Two-Mile Race|date=14 September 2007}}</ref>

Defar has been successful in the 5,000 m at the Olympic Games, taking gold at the [[2012 London Olympics]] and [[2004 Athens Olympics]] and [[bronze medal|bronze]] at the [[2008 Beijing Olympics]]. She has experienced similar success in the World Championships, taking [[silver medal|silver]] in  the [[2005 Helsinki Championships]] and gold at the [[2007 Osaka Championships]].

Defar held the indoor records for the 5000 metres, 3,000 metres and [[two miles|two-mile run]]. She has dominated the 3,000 m indoor event, winning four consecutive gold medals at the [[IAAF World Indoor Championships]] from 2004 to 2010. She is also a two-time champion at the [[All-Africa Games]], a four-time medalist at the [[African Championships in Athletics|African Championships]] and a two-time gold medalist at the [[World Junior Championships in Athletics|World Junior Championships]].

Defar took a break from competition in 2014 in order to start a family. She vowed to return by 2015 although she did not compete in the [[2015 World Championships in Athletics|August World Championships in Beijing]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Eder|first1=Larry|title=Meseret Defar is pregnant, will miss 2014, back in 2015, by EME News|url=http://www.runblogrun.com/2014/03/meseret-defar-is-pregnant-will-miss-2014-back-in-2015-by-eme-news.html|access-date=1 September 2015|work=RunBlogRun|date=6 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910132539/http://www.runblogrun.com/2014/03/meseret-defar-is-pregnant-will-miss-2014-back-in-2015-by-eme-news.html|archive-date=10 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Career==

===Olympics===
Defar won the 5,000 metres gold medal at the [[Athletics at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games|inaugural Afro-Asian Games]] in 2003. She won gold medals in the women's [[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's 5000 metres|5,000 metres]] at the [[2004 Summer Olympics]] in [[Athens]] with a time of 14:45.65 and [[Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women's 5000 metres|5,000 metres]] at the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] in [[London]]. She also won a bronze medal at the [[Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's 5000 metres|2008 Beijing Olympics]], which was upgraded to a silver medal after the disqualification of Turkish athlete [[Elvan Abeylegesse]].

===World Records===
On 3 June 2006 she ran the 5,000 metres in New York City in a then-world record time of 14:24.53 – she subsequently improved the record to 14:16.63 at the [[Bislett Games]] in [[Oslo]] on 15 June 2007.
On 3 February 2007 she ran the 3,000 metres indoor in Stuttgart (Germany) in a world record time of 8:23.72.
On 20 May 2007 she ran the [[two miles|2 mile]] in Carson, California in a world best time of 9:10.47.<ref>Meseret Defar 2mile WR [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oev0b93blng 9:10.47 at Carson] – YouTube video</ref>
On 1 September 2007 she won gold in 14:57.91 at 5,000 m at the [[2007 World Championships in Athletics|2007 World Championships]] in [[Osaka]], to go along with her Olympic victory and world record.<ref>2007 World Championships 
[https://web.archive.org/web/20120214050720/http://osaka2007.iaaf.org/results/gender%3DW/discipline%3D5000/combCode%3Dhash/roundCode%3Df/result.html Women 5000m result] – IAAF</ref><ref>2007 WC [//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa7STALJbmM 5000m women's] – YouTube video</ref>
On 14 September 2007, she set a world best (8:58.58) in the women's {{convert|2|mi|km|adj=on}} at the Van Damme Memorial meet, shaving 11.89 seconds off the 9:10.47 mark she set in May at Carson, California.<ref>Meseret Defar 2mile WR [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiPqjq_R7ug 8:58.58 at IAAF Golden League-Brussels] – YouTube video</ref> Also in 2007, Defar won the female [[IAAF World Athlete of the Year]] award.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/gay-and-defar-are-world-athletes-of-the-year-1|title=Gay and Defar are World Athletes of the Year – Powell and Vlasic win Performance of the Year Award|publisher=IAAF|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref>

===World Championships===
She won a silver medal at the [[2005 World Championships in Athletics|2005 World Championships]] in [[Helsinki]], losing only to [[Tirunesh Dibaba]].
In 2006, she won the [[2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]] over 3000 metres, defending her title from the [[2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships]].
In the Reebok Boston Indoor meeting of January 2008, Defar ran a time of 9:10.50 in the two-mile (3.2&nbsp;km) event to establish a new two-mile indoor world best time, breaking the previous indoor best by over twelve seconds.<ref>{{cite news|last=Morse|first=Parker|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/defar-runs-91050-two-miles-world-best-in-bost|title=Defar runs 9:10.50 Two Miles World best in Boston|publisher=IAAF|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref>
Defar won her third consecutive World Indoor gold medal in the 3000&nbsp;m at the [[2008 World Indoor Championships in Athletics]]. At the [[2008 African Championships in Athletics]], Defar was defeated in the 5000 m by compatriot [[Meselech Melkamu]]. At the 2008 [[Bislett Games]], Defar's 5000 m world record was broken by [[Tirunesh Dibaba]]. She took a 3000/5000&nbsp;m double at the [[2008 World Athletics Final]].
Defar began the 2009 athletics season by improving upon her personal bests, setting a new 5000 m world indoor record of 14:24.37 and an indoor world best over two miles (3.2&nbsp;km) with a 9:06.26 run.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ramsak|first=Bob|date=26 February 2009|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/defar-runs-90626-two-miles-world-best-in-prag|title=Defar runs 9:06.26 Two Miles World best in Prague|publisher=IAAF|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref> She competed in the [[10,000 metres]] event at the British national trials in July, attempting to take a spot on the Ethiopian team at the [[2009 World Championships in Athletics]]. In spite of the wet and windy conditions, she ran a personal best of 29:59.20&nbsp;minutes – breaking [[Paula Radcliffe]]'s UK all-comers’ record, becoming the fifth woman to run sub-30 minutes, and earning qualification for the Championships in the process.<ref>{{cite news|last=Brown|first=Matthew|date=12 July 2009|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/defar-clocks-295920-in-birmingham-to-secure-b|title=Defar clocks 29:59.20 in Birmingham to secure Berlin ticket|publisher=IAAF|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref>

In Berlin, Meseret was leading the [[2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 10,000 metres]] until the last 50 metres when her legs appeared to dramatically tie up, handing the gold medal to Kenya's [[Linet Masai]] and was passed by three other athletes, finishing with a time of 30:52.37. She then ran in the [[2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 5000 metres]] final and was leading at the top of the home straight, but was passed by two Kenyan with metres to go, [[Vivian Cheruiyot]] and [[Sylvia Kibet]]. She went on to beat both athletes in the 3000&nbsp;m at the [[2009 IAAF World Athletics Final results|2009 IAAF World Athletics Final]] a month later, setting a world leading time of 8:30.15 in the process.

Rebounding from her bronze medal championship performance, she scored a fourth straight gold medal in the 3000&nbsp;m at the [[2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships]]. Moving on to the road circuit, she won her third title at the [[Carlsbad 5000]], although her time of 15:04  did not trouble her own course record.<ref>{{cite news|last=Cruz|first=Dan|date=12 April 2010|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/defar-and-kipchoge-prevail-in-carlsbad|title=Defar and Kipchoge prevail in Carlsbad|publisher=IAAF|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref> At the [[2010 African Championships in Athletics]], she represented Ethiopia in the 5000&nbsp;m and won the silver medal behind Vivian Cheruiyot. SHe won the 3000&nbsp;m gold at the [[2010 IAAF Continental Cup]] a month later. She made her [[half marathon]] debut at the [[Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon]] and succeeded first time, winning in a time of 1:07:44. This mark improved upon [[Berhane Adere]]'s fastest time on American soil for the distance and was the fifth fastest ever debut.<ref>{{cite news|last=Larkin|first=Duncan|date= 20 September 2010|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/defar-clocks-10744-in-half-marathon-debut-in|title=Defar clocks 1:07:44 in Half Marathon debut in Philadelphia|publisher=IAAF|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref>

At the beginning of 2011 she made a world record attempt for the indoor 3000&nbsp;m and came just short with a run of 8:36.91 minutes.<ref>{{cite news|last=Julin|first=A. Lennart|date=23 February 2011|access-date=18 February 2013|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/with-three-more-world-junior-records-bengtsso|title=With three more World junior records, Bengtsson steals the spotlight in Stockholm|publisher=IAAF}}</ref> She was dominant on the outdoor circuit, taking 5000&nbsp;m wins at the [[FBK Games]], [[Bislett Games]] and [[Meeting Areva]]. Her win streak ended at the [[2011 World Championships in Athletics]], where she first dropped out of the 10,000&nbsp;m then was beaten by Vivian Cheruiyot and [[Sylvia Kibet]] in the 5000&nbsp;m, ending up with the bronze medal.<ref name=Focus2>{{cite news|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/focus-on-athletes-meseret-defar2|title=Focus on Athletes - Meseret Defar|publisher=IAAF|access-date=18 February 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923034851/http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/focus-on-athletes-meseret-defar2|archive-date=23 September 2013}}</ref>

At the [[2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships]] she aimed for a fifth straight title and was leading until the last 100&nbsp;m, at which point she fell behind [[Hellen Obiri]] and finished the race as runner-up.<ref>{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Len|date=11 March 2012|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/event-report-womens-3000-metres-final|title=EVENT REPORT - Women's 3000 Metres - Final|publisher=IAAF|access-date=18 February 2013}}</ref> A haul of second-place finishes followed in the outdoor season, as she came runner-up to Cheruiyot twice and fellow Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba.<ref name=Focus2/><ref>{{cite news|last=Rowbottom|first=Mike |date=11 May 2012|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/middle-distance-magic-highlights-hot-results|title=Middle distance magic highlights hot results in Doha – Samsung Diamond League|publisher=IAAF|access-date=18 February 2013}}</ref> In spite of this, when it came to the [[Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women's 5000 metres|5000&nbsp;m final]] at the [[2012 London Olympics]] she outran both her rivals to claim her second Olympic title over the distance.<ref>{{cite news|last=Martin|first=David|date=10 August 2012|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/london-2012-event-report-womens-5000m-fin|title=London 2012 - Event Report - Women's 5000m Final|publisher=IAAF|access-date=18 February 2013}}</ref>

She began her indoor track season in 2013 with a 3000&nbsp;m win in 8:35.28 minutes.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gordon|first=Ed|date=2 February 2013|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/defar-delights-over-3000m-five-world-leading|title=Defar delights over 3000m, five world-leading marks in Karlsruhe|publisher=IAAF|access-date=18 February 2013}}</ref> Later than month she ran a half marathon best of 67:25 minutes to break the course record at the [[New Orleans Half Marathon]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/defar-and-farah-set-course-records-in-new-orl|title=Defar and Farah set course records in New Orleans|publisher=IAAF |date=24 February 2013|access-date=2 February 2013}}</ref>

She won her second world title in the 5000m [[2013 World Championships in Athletics]] in [[Moscow]] in a time of 14:50:19. She won the race by staying close to the front, but without taking the lead before pulling away with 200m left.

==Personal bests==
[[File:Meseret Defar Valencia 2008.jpg|thumb|Defar at the World Indoor Championships in 2008]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Type
! Event
! Time
! Date
! Place
! Notes
|-
|rowspan=10|Outdoor
|[[1500 metres]] || 4:02.00 || 12 June 2010 || [[New York City, New York]], United States ||
|-
|[[2000 metres]] || 5:45.62 || 8 June 2008 || [[Eugene, Oregon]], United States ||
|-
|[[3000 metres]] || 8:24.51+ || 14 September 2007 || [[Brussels]], Belgium || 
|-
|[[Two miles]] || 8:58.58 || 14 September 2007 || [[Brussels]], Belgium || [[Two miles|World Record]]
|-
|[[5000 metres]] || 14:12.88 || 22 July 2008 || [[Stockholm]], Sweden ||
|-
|[[10,000 metres]] || 29:59.20 || 11 July 2009 || [[Birmingham]], England ||
|-
|10&nbsp;km (road) || 32:08 || 25 February 2007 || [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]], [[Puerto Rico]] ||
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Half marathon]] (road) || 66:09 a || 15 September 2013 || [[South Shields]], United Kingdom||
|-
|| 67:25 || 24 February 2013 || [[New Orleans]], United States ||
|-
|[[Marathon]] (road) || 2:23:33 || 10 March 2019 || [[Nagoya]], Japan ||
|-
|rowspan=3|Indoor
|[[3000 metres]] ||8:23.72 || 2 February 2007 || [[Brussels]], Belgium ||
|-
|Two miles || 9:06.26 || 26 February 2009 || [[Prague]], Czech Republic ||
|-
|[[5000 metres]] || 14:24.37 || 18 February 2009 || [[Stockholm]], Sweden ||
|}
*<small>All information taken from IAAF profile.</small>

==Personal life==
Defar is a [[Christian]] who is a part of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]] who exhibited her religious beliefs publicly, when celebrating her 5000 meter win at 2012 Olympics by revealing and venerating an [[icon]] of [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Mary]] and [[Baby Jesus]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=CNA |title=Virgin Mary 'crosses the finish line' with Olympic gold runner |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/25463/virgin-mary-crosses-the-finish-line-with-olympic-gold-runner |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Crouse |first=Karen |date=2012-08-10 |title=Ethiopian Reclaims 5,000-Meter Title From a Rival Countrywoman |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/11/sports/olympics/ethiopian-defar-reclaims-5000-meter-olympic-title-from-rival-dibaba.html |access-date=2023-01-13 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of world records in athletics]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{sisterlinks|d=Q5877|c=Category:Meseret Defar|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|s=no|wikt=no|species=no}}
*{{World Athletics||name=Meseret Defar}}
*[http://www.globalathletics.com/Athletes/meseret_defar.php Meseret Defar's Global Athletics profile]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070911220452/http://www.globalathletics.com/Multimedia/Osaka/index.php Video Interview of Meseret Defar before and after 2007 IAAF World Championships 5000m]

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|TUR}} [[Elvan Abeylegesse]]|
title=[[5000 metres#Women's world record progression|Women's 5,000 m World Record Holder]]|
years=June 3, 2006 – June 6, 2008| after={{flagicon|ETH}} [[Tirunesh Dibaba]]}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|RUS}} [[Liliya Shobukhova]]|title=[[3000 metres|Women's 3,000m Indoor World Record Holder]]|years=February 3, 2007 &nbsp;– February 6, 2014|after={{flagicon|ETH}} [[Genzebe Dibaba]]}}
{{s-ach|aw}}
{{succession box|title=[[Track & Field Athlete of the Year|Women's Track & Field Athlete of the Year]]|before={{flagicon|USA}} [[Sanya Richards]]|after={{flagicon|ETH}} [[Tirunesh Dibaba]]|years=2007}}
{{s-sports}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|BHR}} [[Maryam Yusuf Jamal]]<br>{{flagicon|KEN}} [[Vivian Cheruiyot]]|title=[[3000 metres#Women's Seasons Best (Outdoor Track)|Women's 3,000 m Best Year Performance]]|years=2006–2007<br>2009|after={{flagicon|KEN}} [[Vivian Cheruiyot]]<br>{{flagicon|ETH}} [[Sentayehu Ejigu]]}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|TUR}} [[Elvan Abeylegesse]]|title=[[5000 metres#Women's seasons best (outdoor track)|Women's 5,000 m Best Year Performance]]|years=2005–2007|after={{flagicon|ETH}} [[Tirunesh Dibaba]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{IAAF World Athlete of the Year (women)}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 5000 m Women}}
{{Footer World Champions 3000 and 5000 m Women}}
{{Footer World Indoor Champions 3000m Women}}
{{Footer IAAF World Cup Champions 3000m Women}}
{{Footer IAAF World Cup Champions 5000m Women}}
{{Footer All-Africa Champions 5000 m Women}}
{{Footer African Champions women's 5000 metres}}
{{Footer World Athletics U20 Champions women's 3000 metres}}
{{Footer IAAF Diamond League 5000 Metres Champions Women}}
{{Footer WBYP 3000m Women}}
{{Footer WBYP 5000m Women}}
{{Footer WBYP 10000m Women}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Defar, Meseret}}
[[Category:1983 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Athletes from Addis Ababa]]
[[Category:Ethiopian Orthodox Christians]]
[[Category:Ethiopian women long-distance runners]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Ethiopia]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Ethiopia]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for Ethiopia]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Ethiopia]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:World record holders in the sport of athletics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:African Games gold medalists for Ethiopia]]
[[Category:African Games gold medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:African Games athletes for Ethiopia]]
[[Category:Track & Field News Athlete of the Year winners]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2003 All-Africa Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 All-Africa Games]]
[[Category:Diamond League winners]]
[[Category:World Athletics Indoor Championships winners]]
[[Category:IAAF Continental Cup winners]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:IAAF World Athletics Final winners]]