Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 27, 2026

Kebede Balcha

Kebede Balcha was a marathon runner from Ethiopia. He won the silver medal at the 1983 World Championships. He is the current record holder for the Montreal International Marathon with 2 hours 10 minutes 3 seconds in 1983. In 1999, he sought asylum in Toronto, where he lived until his death in 2019.

Last revised
Jul 27, 2026
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Kebede Balcha
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Ethiopia
African Championships
Gold medal – first place 1979 Dakar Marathon
Silver medal – second place 1985 Cairo Marathon
Silver medal – second place 1989 Lagos Marathon
Bronze medal – third place 1988 Annaba Marathon

Kebede Balcha (7 September 1951 – 10 July 2018) was a marathon runner from Ethiopia. He won the silver medal at the 1983 World Championships. He is the current record holder for the Montreal International Marathon with 2 hours 10 minutes 3 seconds in 1983.1 In 1999, he sought asylum in Toronto, where he lived until his death in 2019.2

International competitions

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Ethiopia
1979 African Championships Dakar, Senegal 1st Marathon 2:29:53
1980 Olympic Games Moscow, Soviet Union — Marathon DNF
1983 World Championships Helsinki, Finland 2nd Marathon 2:10:27
1985 African Championships Cairo, Egypt 2nd Marathon 2:24:31
1987 All-Africa Games Nairobi, Kenya 3rd Marathon 2:16:07

Road races

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
1977 Athens Classic Marathon Athens, Greece 1st Marathon 2:14:40.8
1979 Montreal International Marathon Montréal, Canada 1st Marathon 2:11:35
1981 Montreal International Marathon Montréal, Canada 1st Marathon 2:11:11
1983 Tokyo Marathon Tokyo, Japan 6th Marathon 2:12:07
London Marathon London, United Kingdom 4th Marathon 2:11:32
Montreal International Marathon Montréal, Canada 1st Marathon 2:10:03
1984 Frankfurt Marathon Frankfurt, Germany 2nd Marathon 2:11:40
1985 Tokyo Marathon Tokyo, Japan 2nd Marathon 2:12:01
1985 World Marathon Cup Hiroshima, Japan 11th Marathon 2:11:19
Montreal International Marathon Montréal, Canada 1st Marathon 2:12:39
1986 Tokyo Marathon Tokyo, Japan 11th Marathon 2:14:11
1988 Rotterdam Marathon Rotterdam, Netherlands 6th Marathon 2:12:04
Fukuoka Marathon Fukuoka, Japan 10th Marathon 2:12:55
References

References

  1. "Obituary – Ethiopian marathoner Kebede Balcha | Africathle". Archived from the original on 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
  2. "Kebebe Balcha". Olympedia. OLYMadMen. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
External links