Portrait of Aselefech Mergia

Birthday profile

Aselefech Mergia

Ethiopian marathon runner

Born
January 23, 1985
Age in 2026
41
Zodiac sign
Aquarius
Birth year
1985

About Aselefech Mergia

Aselefech Mergia Medessa (Oromo: Asallafach Margaa Mardaasaa; Amharic: አሰለፈች መርጊያ; born 23 January 1985) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in the marathon. She was a bronze medallist in the event at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. She is a two-time winner of the Dubai Marathon and has finished in the top three at the Paris and London Marathons. She was retrospectively confirmed as the winner of the 2010 London Marathon after the top two were disqualified. Her personal best of 2:19:31 hours is a former Ethiopian record for the distance and places her within the top ten of all-time. Mergia won the bronze medal in the women's marathon at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, recording a time of 2:25:32. She won the Plymouth Half Marathon in 2007, finishing with a time of 1:14:50. That year she won the Delhi Half Marathon with a personal best run of 1:08:17.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Aselefech Mergia timeline

  1. She won the Plymouth Half Marathon in 2007, finishing with a time of 1:14:50.
  2. Mergia won the bronze medal in the women's marathon at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, recording a time of 2:25:32.

The world when Aselefech Mergia was born

Aselefech Mergia was born in 1985. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1985

  • #1 song"We Are the World" – USA for Africa
  • Top movieOut of Africa
  • Top TV showThe Cosby Show
  • Best-selling bookThe Handmaid's Tale – Margaret Atwood

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentMichael Jordan named NBA Rookie of the Year
  • Top headlineLive Aid concert raises awareness for African famine
  • Technology milestoneNintendo NES released in the US
  • Defining fadNintendo NES
  • Notable inventionNintendo Entertainment System (NES) launches in US
  • World population4.85 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRonald Reagan
  • Sports championKansas City Royals (World Series)
  • Also wonLos Angeles Lakers (NBA)
  • U.S. population237.9M

1985 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Aselefech Mergia's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19852026
Gas$1.12$3.45/gal
Average home$75,500$435,000
Average income$27,735$67,500
Minimum wage$3.35$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$3.55$11.95
Postage stamp$0.22$0.73
Population237.9M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, International Olympic Committee, Olympedia. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.