Meskerem Legesse
Meskerem Legesse was an Ethiopian distance runner. She participated in the 1,500 meters at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Legesse turned professional and participated in a number of U.S. events at various distances.
She set the world junior record in the indoor 800m with a time of 2:01.03 at Fayetteville, United States on 14 February 2004. At the 2004 Olympics, she ran a time of 4:18:03, and did not advance to the medal round.
Legesse resided in Westport, Connecticut and had not been in Ethiopia for nine years, since 2004. She retired from running due to a heart condition.
Legesse died suddenly three weeks before she was to give birth. She was with her two-year-old son when she collapsed on 15 July 2013 at a restaurant in Hamden, Connecticut. Doctors were successful in saving her unborn child.
