Portrait of Gudaf Tsegay

Birthday profile

Gudaf Tsegay

Ethiopian middle-distance runner

Born
January 23, 1997
Age in 2026
29
Zodiac sign
Aquarius
Birth year
1997

About Gudaf Tsegay

Gudaf Tsegay Desta (Tigrinya: ጉዳፉ ፀጋይ ደስታ; born 23 January 1997) is an Ethiopian middle- and long-distance runner. She is the world indoor record holder for the 1500 metres, and formerly held the 5000 metre world record. Gudaf is the 2022 World Champion in the 5000 metres and the 2023 World Champion in the 10,000 metres. She is the bronze medalist in the 2019 World Championship 1500 metres, the silver medalist in the 2022 World Championships, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist in the 5000 metres. She is a two-time World Indoor Championship 1500 m medallist, claiming bronze in 2016 and gold in 2022. At age 16, Gudaf represented Ethiopia in the 1500 m at the 2014 World Indoor Championships. That same year, the 17-year-old won the silver medal in the discipline at the World U20 Championships. She is a versatile runner. Two years later, Gudaf broke the world U20 indoor record in this event with a time of 4:01.81 in Glasgow, beating previous best set by compatriot Kalkidan Gezahegne in 2010 by more than a second. Gudaf's record was bettered in 2020 by her another compatriot Lemlem Hailu.

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

Gudaf Tsegay timeline

  1. She is the world indoor record holder for the 1500 metres, and formerly held the 5000 metre world record.
  2. Two years later, Gudaf broke the world U20 indoor record in this event with a time of 4:01.81 in Glasgow, beating previous best set by compatriot Kalkidan Gezahegne in 2010 by more than a second.
  3. Gudaf's record was bettered in 2020 by her another compatriot Lemlem Hailu.

The world when Gudaf Tsegay was born

Gudaf Tsegay was born in 1997. 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 1997

  • #1 song"Candle in the Wind 1997" – Elton John
  • Top movieTitanic
  • Top TV showSeinfeld
  • Best-selling bookHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone – J.K. Rowling

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentTiger Woods wins the Masters at age 21 by 12 strokes
  • Top headlinePrincess Diana dies in Paris car crash
  • Technology milestoneDeep Blue beats Garry Kasparov at chess
  • Defining fadTamagotchi virtual pets
  • Notable inventionWiFi (IEEE 802.11 standard)
  • World population5.85 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderBill Clinton
  • Sports championFlorida Marlins (World Series)
  • Also wonChicago Bulls (NBA)
  • U.S. population267.6M

1997 versus 2026

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

Measure19972026
Gas$1.23$3.45/gal
Average home$121,800$435,000
Average income$46,179$67,500
Minimum wage$5.15$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$4.59$11.95
Postage stamp$0.32$0.73
Population267.6M341 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. 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.