Abreham Cherkos was born in Asella in Ethiopia's Oromia Region – the same town as multiple-gold medallist Haile Gebrselassie. Abreham made his international debut at the World Youth Championships in 2005, where he won the world youth title ahead of another great Ethiopian Prospect Ibrahim Jailan. In the 3000 metres race held in Marrakech, he covered the last km in 2:27, indicating his speed in distance events. He set a world youth best of 7:32.37 for the 3000 m in Lausanne that year. In 2006 Abreham began his international year by beating veteran runner Abraham Chebii of Kenya at the Carlsbad 5000, completing the 5 km road race in 13:14. Later in the year, Abreham, in one of the most famous athletics stadiums – Bislett Stadion – he ran 12:59 in only his second 5000 metres race, finishing fifth behind a group of experienced runners including Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia and Isaac Kiprono Songok of Kenya. He followed his sub-13 minute performance with a 12:54.19 in Rome later on in the season. At sixteen years of age Abreham was running under the world record 12 years earlier. He completed the 2006 season with a silver medal in the 2006 World Junior Championships behind his older countryman Tariku Bekele. At the last meet of the year he beat Tariku at the IAAF World Athletics Final. As a junior with one year of competition under his belt Abreham was able to finish third against the top athletes at the discipline at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He finished fifth at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 5000 m later that year. He competed at the 2010 Giro di Castelbuono in July and finished second, behind Zersenay Tadese but ahead of Samuel Wanjiru and former winner Vincent Kipruto. This race proved to be good preparation for the Amsterdam Marathon in October as he took fourth place in a quick race, clocking a time of 2:07:29 on his debut to finish six seconds behind compatriot Chala Dechase. He began 2011 with a run at the Roma-Ostia Half Marathon and he finished fourth in 61:42 minutes. He was invited to the 2011 Boston Marathon and ended the race in fifth place with a time of 2:06:13. His sole outing the following year came at the 2012 London Marathon, but he was much slower and his time of 2:12:46 hours left him in 15th place and out of touch with the top runners. He missed the entire 2013, but returned in 2014 in good form, running a legal-course best of 2:07:08 hours to take fifth at the Seoul International Marathon.
