List of Famous people born in Oromia Region, Ethiopia
Sifan Hassan
Sifan Hassan is an Ethiopian-born Dutch middle- and long-distance runner. She won two gold medals at the 2019 World Championships, in the 1500 metres and 10,000 metres events, becoming the only athlete in history to win both events at a single World Championships or Olympic Games.
Abiy Ahmed Ali
Abiy Ahmed Ali is an Ethiopian politician serving as 4th Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia since 2 April 2018. He was the third chairman of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front from the Oromo Democratic Party (ODP), which was one of the four coalition parties of the EPRDF. Abiy is also an elected member of the Ethiopian parliament, and a member of the ODP and EPRDF executive committees.
Haile Selassie I
Haile Selassie I was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. Prior to his coronation, he had been the Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia from 1916. He is a defining figure in modern Ethiopian history. He was a member of the Solomonic dynasty who traced his lineage to Emperor Menelik I.
Kenenisa Bekele
Kenenisa Bekele is an Ethiopian long-distance runner and was the world record holder in both the 5000-metre and 10000-metre from 2004 (5,000m) and 2005 (10,000m) until 2020. He won the gold medal in both the 5000 m and 10,000 m events at the 2008 Summer Olympics. At the 2004 Olympics, he won the gold medal in the 10,000 m and the silver medal in the 5000 m.
Genzebe Dibaba
Genzebe Dibaba Keneni ; is an Ethiopian middle- and long-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 1500 m at the Beijing World Championships and a silver medal in the 1500 meters at the 2016 Olympics. Genzebe is the current world record holder for the 1500 m, the indoor 3000 m, the indoor 5000 m, and the indoor mile. Her 2000 m indoor women's world's best time is the absolute world record, as it is faster than the previous women's outdoor mark. Genzebe holds the distinction of possessing the most world records by one individual in track history, with her current haul of seven, plus one world best.
Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie is a retired Ethiopian long-distance track and road running athlete. He won two Olympic gold medals over 10,000 metres and four World Championship titles in the event. He won the Berlin Marathon four times consecutively and also had three straight wins at the Dubai Marathon. Further to this, he won four world titles indoors and was the 2001 World Half Marathon Champion.
Jawar Mohammed
Jawar Mohammed is an Oromo-Americans political analyst and activist. One of the founders of the Oromia Media Network (OMN), Jawar was a leading organizer of the 2016 Ethiopian protests and when returned to his home country on 5 August 2018, he was treated like royalty. and the key intellectual inspiration for the International Oromo Youth Association, popularly known as Qeerroo ("Youth"). Jawar, an exiled activist in Minnesota helped spur big political changes in Ethiopia. he has credited to topple the previous government by organizing Qeerroo leading resignations of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in February 2018.
Feyisa Lilesa
Feyisa Lilesa is a long-distance runner from Ethiopia. A member of the Oromo people, he became the youngest man to run under 2:06 when he ran 2:05:23 in the men's marathon at the 2010 Rotterdam Marathon. He set his personal best of 2:04:52 in the marathon when he came in second place at the 2012 Chicago Marathon.
Hachalu Hundessa
Hachalu Hundessa was an Ethiopian Oromo singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist.
Robel Kiros Habte
Robel Kiros Habte is an Ethiopian swimmer. He holds the Ethiopian championship records in a 100m butterfly, 50m, and 100m freestyle. He represented Ethiopia in competitions held in Morocco, Singapore, Qatar, Mozambique, Spain, Russia and Brazil, from youth Olympic games to Olympics. He competed in the 100-metre freestyle event at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He served as the flag bearer for Ethiopia at the 2016 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations.