View source for Gelete Burka

{{short description|Ethiopian runner}}
{{Infobox athlete
|birth_date     = {{Birth date and age|1986|01|23|mf=yes}}
| image = Gelete Burka Hengelo 2009.JPG
| imagesize = 240px
| sport = Women's [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]
|birth_place    = [[Kofele]],  [[Oromia Region|Oromia]], [[Ethiopia]]
|country        = {{ETH}}
|height         = {{convert|5|ft|3|in|m}}
|weight         = {{convert|95|lb|kg}}
|medaltemplates =
{{MedalCompetition|[[World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2015 World Championships in Athletics|2015 Beijing]]|[[2015 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 10,000 metres|10,000 m]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2008 Valencia]]|1500 m}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2010 Doha]]|[[2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 1500 metres|1500 m]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2012 Istanbul]]|[[2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 3000 metres|3000 m]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[African Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[Athletics at the 2007 All-Africa Games|2007 Algiers]]| 1500 m}}
{{MedalBronze|[[Athletics at the 2015 African Games|2015 Brazzaville]]| 10000 m}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[African Championships in Athletics|African Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2008 African Championships in Athletics|2008 Addis Ababa]]| 1500 m}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2010 African Championships in Athletics|2010 Nairobi]]|1500&nbsp;m}}
}}

'''Gelete Burka Bati''' (sometimes misspelled ''Burika'', [[Oromo language|Oromo]]: Galate Burqaa Baati, [[Amharic]]: ገለቴ ቡርቃ;  born 23 January 1986) is an Ethiopian [[Middle-distance running|middle-distance]] and [[long-distance runner]]. She was born in [[Kofele]] in the [[Arsi Zone]] of the [[Oromia Region]], the same district as double Olympic champion [[Haile Gebrselassie]].

Gelete was the short course champion at the [[2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships]]. She is a three-time medalist at the [[IAAF World Indoor Championships]], her best performance being a gold medal win in the 1500&nbsp;m in 2008. She is a four-time participant at the [[World Championships in Athletics]] (2005 to 2011) and represented Ethiopia at the Olympics in both 2008 and 2012.

She has also medalled on the regional stage, having been the runner-up at the [[2010 African Championships in Athletics]] and the gold medallist at the [[2007 All-Africa Games]]. She was the [[List of African records in athletics|African record]] holder for the [[mile run]] and the indoor 1500&nbsp;m.

==Career==
Burka's first significant achievement was at the [[2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships]], where she won the [[Bronze medal|bronze]] in the junior race. She made her first impact in senior athletics later that year when, following the Ethiopian federation's refusal to allow [[Merima Denboba]] to compete, Burka took the women's race at the [[Lotto Cross Cup Brussels]]. She returned to Belgium the following year and repeated the feat.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/brussels-victors-tergat-and-burika-aim-at-wor|title=Brussels' victors Tergat and Burika aim at World Cross return|publisher=[[International Association of Athletics Federations|IAAF]]|date=21 December 2003|access-date=7 May 2016}}</ref> After becoming junior world champion in [[cross country running]] at the [[2005 IAAF World Cross Country Championships|2005 World XC Championships]], she competed at the [[2005 World Championships in Athletics]] to finish eighth in the [[1500 metres]] race. A month later she won the bronze medal in [[3000 metres]] at the [[2005 IAAF World Athletics Final|World Athletics Final]]. She closed the season with a win at the Spanish [[Cross Internacional de Venta de Baños]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/burika-and-garcia-go-unchallenged-in-venta-de|title=Burika and García go unchallenged in Venta de Baños|last=Valiente|first=Emeterio|date=18 December 2005|publisher=IAAF|access-date=7 May 2016}}</ref>

In April 2006 she won the short race at the [[2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships|World Cross Country Championships]], as well as a [[gold medal]] in the team competition. She established herself as a force to be reckoned with on the cross country circuit, winning the [[Great Edinburgh International Cross Country]] three times consecutively from 2006 to 2008 and taking the [[Cross Internacional de Itálica]] title in 2007. Internationally, in 2007 she placed fourth at the [[2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships|World Cross Country Championships]], was the 1500&nbsp;m winner at the [[Athletics at the 2007 All-Africa Games|All-Africa Games]] and was tenth in the 5000&nbsp;m at the [[2007 World Championships in Athletics]]. She had improved her 5000&nbsp;m best to 14:31.20 minutes that year.<ref>[http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/ethiopia/gelete-burka Gelete Burka] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130211073214/http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/ethiopia/gelete-burka |date=2013-02-11 }}. IAAF. Retrieved 17 February 2013.</ref> She was sixth at the [[2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships]].

She represented her country at the [[Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Summer Olympics]], but failed to make it out of the 1500&nbsp;m heats. In September 2008 she set a new one mile [[List of African records in athletics|African record]] of 4:18.23. The previous record (4:20.79) was held by [[Hassiba Boulmerka]] of [[Algeria]] and was set in 1991.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=IAAF|date=7 September 2008|access-date=7 May 2016|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/powell-cruises-to-977-and-982-in-rieti-iaaf|title=Powell cruises to 9.77 and 9.82 in Rieti – IAAF World Athletics Tour}}</ref> She was a finalist at the [[2009 World Championships in Athletics]], but finished last in tenth place. She attempted to defend her 1500&nbsp;m title at the [[2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships]], but was beaten by a younger Ethiopia ([[Kalkidan Gezahegne]]) and took the [[bronze medal]] on this occasion. She claimed the [[silver medal]] behind reigning Olympic champion [[Nancy Langat]] at the [[2010 African Championships in Athletics]] in the outdoor season.<ref>[http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/biographies/letter=0/athcode=194277/index.html Burka Gelete]. IAAF. Retrieved 6 January 2012.</ref>

During the [[2011 IAAF Diamond League]] circuit, she won the 1500&nbsp;m at the [[Prefontaine Classic]], but did not manage to finish the distance during the semi-finals at the [[2011 World Championships in Athletics]]. She came second to a returning [[Tirunesh Dibaba]] at the 2011 [[San Silvestre Vallecana]] 10K race.<ref>{{cite news|last=Valiente|first=Emeterio|date=1 January 2012|publisher=IAAF|access-date=7 May 2016 |url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/gebrehiwot-surprises-dibaba-signals-strong-re|title=Gebrehiwot surprises, Dibaba signals strong return in Madrid 10Km – San Silvestre Vallecana report}}</ref>

Gelete reached the podium for the third time running at the [[2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships]], finishing behind [[Hellen Obiri]] and [[Meseret Defar]] in the 3000&nbsp;m.<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=7 May 2016}}</ref> Newly focused on distances from 3000&nbsp;m upwards, she came fourth in the [[2012 IAAF Diamond League]] races in Doha, Rome, Lausanne and Brussels that year, and her best on the circuit was a third place at the [[Adidas Grand Prix]] in New York.<ref>[http://www.diamondleague.com/athletes/14259909.htm Gelete Burka]. Diamond League. Retrieved 17 February 2013.</ref> She represented Ethiopia in the 5000&nbsp;m for the first time at the [[Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics|London Olympics]] and came in fifth place.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gelete Burka |website=London2012.com |url=http://www.london2012.com/athlete/burka-gelete-1091154/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130405201818/http://www.london2012.com/athlete/burka-gelete-1091154/ |access-date=17 February 2013}}</ref> She made her debut over the 15K road distance at the [[Zevenheuvelenloop]], placing fifth, then ended the year with at the [[San Silvestre Vallecana]] with an [[List of Ethiopian records in athletics|Ethiopian record]] of 30:53 minutes for the 10K road distance.<ref>{{cite news|last=van Hemert|first=Wim|date=18 November 2012|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/dibaba-and-kipkemboi-prevail-in-nijmegen-15k|title=Dibaba and Kipkemboi prevail in Nijmegen 15K |publisher=IAAF|access-date=17 February 2013}}</ref><ref>[http://www.as.com/mas-deporte/articulo/tariku-bekele-gelete-burka-repiten/20121231dasdasmas_11/Tes Tariku Bekele y Gelete Burka repiten exhibición etíope]. EFE/AS (31 December 2012). Retrieved 17 February 2013.</ref>

She began 2013 with a win at the [[Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Valiente|first=Emeterio|date=14 January 2013|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/kipruto-and-burka-the-commanding-victors-at-e|title=Kipruto and Burka the commanding victors at Elgoibar|publisher=IAAF|access-date=18 February 2013}}</ref>

Gelete Burka placed 8th in 30:26.66 at [[Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Women's 10,000 metres]].

==Personal bests==
* [[800 metres]] outdoor - 2:02.89 (2010)
* [[1500 metres]] outdoor - 3:58.79 (2009)
* 1500 metres indoor - 3:59.75 (2008)
* [[Mile run]] outdoor - 4:18.23 (2008)
* Mile run indoor - 4:23.53 (2010)
* [[3000 metres]] outdoor - 8:25.92 (2006)
* 3000 metres indoor - 8:31.94 (2008)
* [[5000 metres]] outdoor - 14:31.20 (2007)
* [[10,000 metres]] track - 30:26.66 (2016)
* [[10K run|10K road]] - 32:01 (2014), (2017)
* [[Half marathon]] road - 1:09.32 (2016)
* [[Marathon]] road - 2:26.03 (2014)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{World Athletics}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090910070915/http://www.iaaf.org/news/athletes/newsid%3D35218.html IAAF Focus on Athletes]

{{Footer World Indoor Champions 1500m Women}}
{{Footer African Champions women's 1500 metres}}
{{Footer All-Africa Champions 1500 m Women}}
{{Footer IAAF World Cross Champions Women}}
{{Footer WBYP 10000m Women}}
{{Footer Paris Marathon Champions Women}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burka, Gelete}}
[[Category:1986 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Athletes from Oromia]]
[[Category:Ethiopian female middle-distance runners]]
[[Category:Ethiopian female long-distance runners]]
[[Category:Ethiopian female marathon runners]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Ethiopia]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Ethiopia]]
[[Category:World Athletics Cross Country Championships winners]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:African Games gold medalists for Ethiopia]]
[[Category:African Games gold medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:African Games athletes for Ethiopia]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 All-Africa Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2015 African Games]]
[[Category:World Athletics Indoor Championships winners]]
[[Category:Paris Marathon female winners]]
[[Category:Diamond League winners]]