21 Facts About Bashir Abdi

Bashir Abdi was born on 10 February 1989 and is a Somali-born Belgian long-distance runner.

Bashir Abdi won bronze medals in the marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2022 World Championships.

In doing so, Abdi became both the first ever Belgian world championship medal winner at the marathon and the first Belgian male athlete to win an individual medal at both the Olympic Games and World Athletics Championships.

Bashir Abdi claimed silver in the 10,000 metres at the 2018 European Championships.

Bashir Abdi finished second and third at the 2020 Tokyo Marathon and 2022 London Marathon respectively.

Bashir Abdi holds the Belgian records in the half marathon and one hour run, and the world best in the rarely contested 20,000 metres on track.

Bashir Abdi was born in El Afweyn, Somaliland, a town mainly inhabited by the Habr Je'lo clan of the Isaaq clan-family.

Bashir Abdi then spent a year and a half in Ethiopia, before settling in Belgium.

Bashir Abdi is married and has a daughter, Kadra, born 2018, and a son Ibrahim; born 2020.

Bashir Abdi is a co-founder and vice-chairman of the non-profit organization Sportaround, which organizes after-school sports activities for children in Ghent.

Bashir Abdi entered the 10,000 metres at the 2014 European Athletics Championships with the European-leading time set on 4 May He finished fifth at the event.

In 2018, Bashir Abdi made his marathon debut at the Rotterdam Marathon, placing seventh with a time of 2:10:46.

Bashir Abdi then competed in the London Marathon, placing seventh in a time of 2:07:03 in a race won by Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge in 2:02:37.

Bashir Abdi headed back to Newcastle upon Tyne where he again raced the Great North Run half marathon, finishing fifth in a time of 1:01:11, the race was won by Farah.

Bashir Abdi opened his 2020 racing campaign by winning the Egmond Half Marathon.

Bashir Abdi then achieved his first marathon podium position by placing second in the Tokyo Marathon in a new personal best time of 2:04:49.

Bashir Abdi passed Ethiopia's Sisay Lemma in the closing stages to finish behind the race winner Ethiopia's Birhanu Legese, who ran a time of 2:04:15.

Bashir Abdi finished second behind Farah setting a mark of 21,322 metres.

In 2021, Bashir Abdi was second behind Farah at the Djibouti International Half Marathon with a time of 1:03:11.

Bashir Abdi focused on the marathon at the Games winning the bronze medal.

In July that year, Bashir Abdi won his second consecutive global bronze in the marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships held in Eugene, Oregon, clocking 2:06:48.