Kalkidan Gezahegne was born in
Addis Ababa. She won the silver medal in the 1500 metres at the
2008 World Junior Championships and won another junior silver at the
2009 African Junior Athletics Championships, finishing behind
Caster Semenya. Moving up to the senior level, Kalkidan finished eighth in the
1500 m race at the
2009 World Championships and fifth in the
3000 metres at the
2009 World Athletics Final. Competing at the
2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships, she had a startling comeback to qualify for the final. In the middle of her heat, she collided with Russia's Yevgeniya Zolotova and fell onto the track. She got back up to continue the race, however, and not only caught up with her competitors, but won the race with the fastest time of any runner that day. In the final she outdid compatriot and reigning champion
Gelete Burka to win the gold medal. This made the 18-year-old the youngest ever winner of an event at the
IAAF World Indoor Championships, beating the previous record set by
Gabriela Szabo 15 years earlier. She missed the outdoor season that year due to injury. On 3 October 2021, Gezahegne broke the world record for the
10 km road race at The Giants Geneva event, running 29:38 and surpassing the previous mark by 5 seconds. ==Achievements==