Fast. That is just one word that comes to mind when looking to describe Yemane Mulugeta, but it is certainly not the only one. Resilient, tenacious, committed, fervent, the list just goes on and on. The Grade 12 athlete from LA Matheson Secondary, has had quite the remarkable 2023 cross country season so far and with the Canadian Cross Country Championships set to take place on November 25th, Mulugeta remains undefeated this season. He won all South Fraser League Meets, the South Fraser Zone Championship, the U20 BC XC Club Championship, the Senior Boys 3A BC High School XC Championship and was named the top aggregate runner in all of the Surrey School District.
I caught up with Mulugeta about how he got his start in running, how he has progressed within athletics and what he hopes to accomplish in the future.
Personal Bests
800m: 1:56
1500m: 3:56
2000m Steeplechase: 5:57
3000m: 8:19
5000m: 14:41
10km Road: 30:44
Half Marathon: 1:08:38
Career Accolades
2023 BC HS XC Championships Gold
2023 U20 BC XC Club Championships Gold
2023 BC HS 3000m and Steeplechase Gold
2022 BC HS XC Championships Bronze
2022 U18 Canadian XC Championships Silver
2022 U18 Legion Nationals Steeplechase Gold
2022 U18 Legion Nationals 3000m Silver
5000m U20 Canadian National Record
10km U20 Canadian National Record
U20 Half Marathon Canadian National Record
Mulugeta was born in Eritrea, a country in East Africa; however due to war he had to leave and find safe refuge in a refugee camp. It was during the time in the camp he found out that he would be coming to Canada.
"At first I was filled with fear and anxiety. I didn't know what to expect. My sister and I arrived in British Columbia in 2019. When we arrived, I spoke very little English, was unaware of Canadian customs and had never experienced being in a new country. It was very overwhelming."
From there, Mulugeta started attending LA Matheson Secondary School in Surrey and that is where he started to find his love for running.
"I met some friends and really nice teachers, including Mr. Corbishley, my PE teacher. He had his students do timed runs each week and one day I challenged him to a race and beat him. He told me I had a natural gift for running, but I had never really run before so I asked him if there were any races that I could attend."
In 2021 Mr Corbishley signed Mulugeta up for his first cross country race. He placed fifth, and the rest is history, his running career had officially begun. Mulugeta went on to join the Ocean Athletics Track and Field Club and also started to represent LA Matheson during the high school cross country and track seasons.
"Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. I began to make new friends and started to feel like Canada and British Columbia were becoming my new home."