“Having broken the world record in Berlin, it has given me a lot of encouragement and confidence,” said Tigist Assefa, who made history as the first woman to break 2:00 in the 800 meters and 2:20 in the marathon. She set a new world record of 2:11:53 at the 2023 Berlin Marathon and now aims to lower her time to 2:10. Her incredible achievements have captivated the athletics world, and at the heart of her success is her coach, Gemedu Dedefo.

Behind every great athlete is a dedicated professional who provides the necessary support and guidance to achieve greatness. This article explores Gemedu Dedefo’s life and career, highlighting the expertise and support crucial to Assefa’s record-breaking journey.

Meet the coach of world record holder Tigist Assefa

Tigist Assefa’s records are legendary. But she had help from coach Gemedu Dedefo. Gemedu Dedefo coaches a group of athletes in Addis Ababa including 2022 World Champion Tamirat Tola and Boston marathon winner Sisay Lemma. Tigist Assefa’s coach has played an important role in Assefa’s success. Renowned Italian coaches Renato Canova and Gabriela Nicola have named him Ethiopia’s “super coach.” Due to an Achilles tendon injury in the Valencia Half Marathon, Assefa had to give up sprinting as she felt discomfort wearing spike shoes. 

She promised herself she would not give up. Assefa would get back and make history, and that’s what she has done. Furthermore, Dedefo’s coaching made the transition easier for her. She said, “The switch from being a track runner to the marathon was not an easy one.” It required a lot of hard work, and though it didn’t feel natural immediately, with persistent effort, she has reached her goal. Assefa is the first Ethiopian woman to hold the world record and trains in her home country under one of its top coaches, Gemedu Dedefo. 

He knew last year when she began breaking records on the courses his group uses for practice that she was something special. After her run in Berlin last year, Dedefo believed Assefa would eventually break the world record if she stayed healthy. She did not run a spring marathon this year — she withdrew from London due to injury — but on Sunday, she turned Dedefo’s belief into reality. “I coach a lot of ladies,” said Dedefo, who also coaches Valencia winner Beriso. He further added, “Never I coach an athlete like her. Tigist is the strongest one.” This strong support system and Dedefo’s exceptional guidance have been integral to Assefa’s success.

What does coach Gemedu Dedefo have to say about disciple Tigist Assefa’s record?

Tigist Assefa’s agent Gianni Demadonna has revealed that Dedefo was shocked at the marathon runner’s recent success. She delivered a record-breaking time in Berlin. But he always had been confident in Tigist Assefa’s abilities. Demadonna told Runner’s World, “The coach said to me in August, ‘Tigist is beating all the course records of training courses and I never saw a woman running like that,’ but honestly, the goal was to run near or under 2:19 and not so fast.” At Tigist Assefa’s age of 27, she ran a time of 2:15:37—the third-fastest time in history. 

Surprisingly, she had run just one marathon before. Which was her debut with 2:34s in March at the Riyadh Marathon in Saudi Arabia. Assefa is currently looking forward to the 2024 Olympics and is continuing her training under Dedefo. She has already booked a slot on the team as a first-time Olympian from Ethiopia. Alongside her will be talented athletes like Megertu Alemu and Amane Beriso. Gemedu Dedefo supported Tigist Assefa’s ambition of bringing her time down by 10 minutes. He said, ”Women are showing impressive progress. There is a lot of pressure on women – they’re running under unfavorable conditions, it’s different from men.” Hopefully keeping his training in mind, Assefa will be able to bring back medals for Ethiopia from the Summer Games.