Birke Haylom
Birke Haylom is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She won gold at the 2022 [World Athletics U20 Championships – Women's 1500 metres| 1500 metres] at the 2022 [World Athletics U20 Championships]. In February 2023 she won a silver medal in the 2023 [World Athletics Cross Country Championships – Mixed relay|mixed relay] at the 2023 World Athletics [Cross Country Championships]. She is the U20 world record holder in the mile run, 5000 metres, and 1500 metres and 3000 metres indoors.
Career
Haylom won the gold medal in the 1500 metres at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia in August 2022. She ran a championship record time of 4:04.27.2023
In February 2023 she won a silver medal in the mixed relay at the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships, held in Bathurst, Australia. Her Ethiopia team completed the course in 23:21, with Haylom racing alongside Adehana Kasaye, Hawi Abera, and Getnet Wale.At the Diamond League meeting in Doha on 5 May 2023, she ran a new personal best time of 4:01.86 for the 1500m, finishing sixth in the race. Competing in the Diamond League in Rabat in May 2023, she set a new African under-18 1500m record of 3:57.66 as she finished third behind compatriots Freweyni Hailu and Gudaf Tsegay.
At the Bislett Games on 15 June 2023, she won the Dream Mile in 4:17.13, a World U20 record.
Selected for the 1500m at the 2023 [World Athletics Championships – Women's 1500 metres|2023 World Athletics Championships], she qualified for the final and finished ninth overall.
2024
Competing in Boston, Massachusetts in February 2024, she set a new indoor 1500m world U20 record time of 3:58.43. She qualified for the final of the 2024 [World Athletics Indoor Championships – Women's 1500 metres|women's 1500 metres] race at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow. In the final she finished in ninth place with a time of 4:06.27.She ran a world under-20 record of 14:23.71 to place fifth in the 5000 metres at the 2024 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. She finished fourth in the 1500m at the 2024 BAUHAUS-galan Diamond League event in Stockholm on 2 June 2024. She competed in the 1500 metres at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Women's 1500 metres|2024 Summer Olympics] in Paris in August 2024, reaching the semi-final.
2025
In February 2025, she took seven seconds off the world U20 indoor record with 8:25.37, in Liévin on 13 February 2025. She lowered her 1500 metres indoors personal best on 16 February 2025, running 3:59.82 at the Copernicus Cup on 16 February 2025. She was selected for the 3000 metres at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing in March 2025. She finished third over 5000 metres at the 2025 Xiamen Diamond League event in China, in April 2025, and fourth over 5000 metres at the 2025 Golden Gala in Rome and third over 1500 metres at the 2025 Meeting de Paris. She placed seventh in the 1500 metres at the Diamond League Final in Zurich on 28 August.In September 2025, she competed over 5000 metres at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, without advancing to the final. In November, she was nominated for the World Athletics Rising Star Award.