{{Short description|Ethiopian steeplechase runner}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Sembo Almayew | image = Sembo Almayew 2023 (cropped).jpg | imagesize = | caption = Sembo Almayew in 2023 | full_name = Sembo Almayew Welteji | nationality = Ethiopian | birth_date = {{birth date and age|24 January 2005}} | birth_place = Midakegn, Oromia, Ethiopia | death_date = | death_place = | height = | weight = | country = Ethiopia | sport = Athletics | event = 3000 metres steeplechase | club = | retired = | pb = {{ubl |'''3000 metres''': 8:35.04 (Val-de-Reuil 2023) |'''3000 m st''': 8:59.90 (Eugene 2025) }} | medaltemplates = {{Medal|Sport|Women's athletics}} {{Medal|Country|{{ETH}}}} {{Medal|Competition|World Championships}} {{Medal|Bronze|2025 Tokyo|3000 m st.}} {{Medal|Competition|World U20 Championships}} {{Medal|Gold|2024 Lima|3000 m st.}} {{Medal|Silver|2022 Cali|3000 m st.}} }}
'''Sembo Almayew Welteji''' (born 24 January 2005) is an Ethiopian track and field athlete. She was a silver medalist at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in the women's 3000 metres steeplechase.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://worldathletics.org/athletes/ethiopia/sembo-almayew-14968520|website=World Athletics|title=Sembo Almayew - Athlete Profile|accessdate=June 2, 2023}}</ref>
==Career== ===2022=== Almayew set new world under-18 best times for the 3000m steeplechase in 2022. She beat the previous U18 best of 9:24.73, set by Kenya's Celliphine Chespol in 2016, when she clocked a 9:18.98 at the FBK Games, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, in Hengelo.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/world-athletics-u20-championships-7163112/news/feature/oregon-to-cali-u20|date=26 July 2022|title=From Oregon to Cali for some of the world's top U20s|website=World Athletics|accessdate=June 2, 2023}}</ref>
Almayew then ran 9:09.19 to finish second at the Diamond League meeting in Paris in June 2022 in the 3000m steeplechase to lower her personal best and the world under-18 best time. Competing at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon she ran 9:21.10 to finish fifth in her heat.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/world-athletics-u20-championships-7163112/news/preview/wu20-cali-22-day-four|date=4 August 2022|title=Three things to follow on day four in Cali: history in the making|website=World Athletics|accessdate=2 June 2023}}</ref>
She was a silver medalist behind Faith Cherotich at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in the Women's 3000 metres steeplechase.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.michezoafrika.com/news/authoritative-cherotich-delivers-steeplechase-gold-in-cali--mutunga-claims-400m-silver/28126|title=Authoritative Cherotich delivers steeplechase gold in Cali, Mutunga claims 400m silver|website=Michezo Afrika|date=August 4, 2022|accessdate=2 June 2023}}</ref>
===2023=== Almayew ran 9:05.83 to set a new personal best and national under-20 record at the Doha meeting of the Diamond League in May 2023, finishing second behind Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.letsrun.com/news/2023/05/2023-doha-dl-recap-girma-wins-stacked-3k-kipyegon-still-rules-the-1500/|title=2023 Doha DL Recap: Girma Wins Stacked 3k, Kipyegon Still Rules the 1500|website=LetsRun.com|date=May 5, 2023|accessdate=2 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://worldathletics.org/competitions/diamond-league/news/doha-diamond-league-2023-ceh-girma-richardson|website=World Athletics|accessdate=2 June 2023|title=Ceh, Girma and Richardson break meeting records in Doha|date=5 May 2023|last=Mulkeen|first=Jon}}</ref> The following month, Almayew set a new personal best and meeting record time of 9:00.71 to win the 3000 m steeplechase at the Diamond League meeting in Florence on 2 June 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/news/2023-florence-diamond-league-kerley-knighton-kipyegon-updates-results|website=Olympics.com|date=2 June 2023|accessdate=2 June 2023|title=2023 Florence Diamond League: Faith Kipyegon smashes 1500m world record as Erriyon Knighton and Fred Kerley win at Golden Gala - updates and results|last=Jiwani|first=Rory}}</ref>
Competing in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, she qualified for the final, finishing second in her heat. In the final, she finished in thirteenth place.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.watchathletics.com/page/4572/women-s-3000m-steeplechase-results-world-athletics-championships-2023|website=Watch Athletics|accessdate=24 August 2023|date=23 August 2023|title=Women's 3000m Steeplechase Results: World Athletics Championships 2023}}</ref>
===2024=== She finished in fifth place at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the Women's 3000 metres steeplechase.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/OG2024/pdf/OG2024/ATH/OG2024_ATH_C73C1_ATHW3000MST-----------FNL-000100--.pdf|website=olympics.com|publisher=IOC|date=6 August 2024|accessdate=29 August 2024|title=Women's 3000m Steeplechase Final - Results}}</ref> In August 2024, she won gold at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships in the 3000 metres steeplechase, setting a new championship record time of 9:12.71.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/lima24/news/report/day-three-afternoon-lima-24-track-almayew-manuel-okon-halvorsen|website=World Athletics|accessdate=30 August 2024|title=Almayew sets steeplechase championship record to win world U20 title in Lima|date=30 August 2024}}</ref> She was named Women’s Rising Star at the World Athletics Awards in December 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-championships/tokyo25/news/feature/ten-athletes-to-watch-world-athletics-championships-tokyo-25|website=World Athletics|accessdate=14 July 2025|title=Ten athletes to watch at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25|date=13 July 2025}}</ref>
===2025=== She finished third in the 3000m steeplechase in May 2025 at the 2025 Doha Diamond League.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.watchathletics.com/page/6640/results-doha-diamond-league-2025|website=Watch Athletics|accessdate=19 May 2025|title= Results - Doha Diamond League 2025|date=16 May 2025}}</ref> In June 2025, she ran a time of 9:01.22 to finish third at the 2025 Meeting de Paris.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/news/report/paris-2025-habz-benjamin-paulino-stark-cherotich|website=World Athletics|accessdate=21 June 2025|title= Habz, Benjamin, Paulino and Stark storm to meeting records in Paris|date=20 June 2025}}</ref> She ran a personal best 8:59.90 at the 2025 Prefontaine Classic on 5 July.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.watchathletics.com/page/6792/results-eugene-diamond-league-pre-classic-2025 |website=Watch Athletics Weekly|accessdate=6 July 2025|title= Results - Eugene Diamond League - Pre Classic 2025 |date=5 July 2025}}</ref> She was runner-up to Doris Lemngole in 9:20.39 in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2025 Athletissima event in Lausanne, in wet conditions.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/news/report/hodgkinson-hoey-athletissima-lausanne-2025 |website=World Athletics|accessdate=21 August 2025|date=20 August 2025|title= Hodgkinson and Hoey highlight soaking and surprising night in Lausanne }}</ref> In July 2025, she named for the Ethiopian team for the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, where she qualified for the final of the 3000 metres steeplechase.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7190593?eventId=10229524&gender=W |website=World Athletics|accessdate=15 September 2025|title= World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025 |date=15 Sep 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.pulsesports.co.ke/athletics/story/faith-kipyegon-and-co-learn-world-championships-rivals-as-ethiopia-unveil-formidable-squad-2025072810441764648|website=Pulse Sports|accessdate=28 July 2025|title= Faith Kipyegon and Co Learn World Championships Rivals as Ethiopia Unveil Formidable Squad|date=28 July 2025}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{sports links}} {{Footer World Junior Champions women's steeplechase}}{{IAAF Rising Star (women)}}{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Almayew, Sembo}} Category:2005 births Category:Living people Category:Ethiopian women middle-distance runners Category:Ethiopian women steeplechase runners Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Ethiopia Category:African Games athletes for Ethiopia Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2023 African Games Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic athletes for Ethiopia Category:21st-century Ethiopian sportswomen Category:World Athletics Championships medalists