Gidamis Shahanga
Tanzanian long-distance runner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gidamis Shahanga (born September 4, 1957, in Katesh, Hanang District in Manyara Region), is a retired Tanzanian long-distance runner who specialized in the 10,000 metres and the marathon race. His personal best at the marathon was 2:08:32 at the 1990 Berlin Marathon.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's athletics | ||
Representing  Tanzania | ||
| African Championships | ||
 | 1979 Dakar | Marathon |
Shahanga was an All-American runner for the UTEP Miners track and field team, contributing to their cross country team as well.[1] In May 1983, he set an unofficial 34:13 world record over the road 12 kilometres distance in Portland, Oregon. He thought the race distance would be only 10 kilometres until getting on the bus to the competition.[2] In an attempt on the marathon world record, Shahanga won the 1984 Rotterdam Marathon in a time of 2:11:12 hours.[3] He won the February 1984 Los Angeles International Marathon on the same course as the Olympic marathon he ran later that year.[4]
Gidamis is the brother of fellow UTEP Miners runner Alfredo Shahanga.[5]
Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Tanzania | |||||
| 1978 | Commonwealth Games | Edmonton, Canada | 1st | Marathon | 2:15:40 |
| 1979 | African Championships | Dakar, Senegal | 2nd | Marathon | 2:36:46 |
| 1980 | Olympic Games | Moscow, Soviet Union | 15th | Marathon | 2:16:47 |
| 1982 | Commonwealth Games | Brisbane, Australia | 1st | 10,000 m | 28:10.15 |
| 6th | Marathon | 2:14:25 | |||
| 1983 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 5th | 10,000 m | 28:01.93 |
| New York City Marathon | New York City, United States | 6th | Marathon | 2:11:05 | |
| 1984 | Los Angeles Marathon | Los Angeles, United States | 1st | Marathon | 2:10:19 |
| Rotterdam Marathon | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 1st | Marathon | 2:11:12 | |
| Olympic Games | Los Angeles, United States | 22nd | Marathon | 2:16:27 | |
| 1986 | Los Angeles Marathon | Los Angeles, United States | 2nd | Marathon | 2:13:27 |
| Hamburg Marathon | Hamburg, Germany | 2nd | Marathon | 2:14:07 | |
| Beijing Marathon | Beijing, China | 4th | Marathon | 2:09:39 | |
| 1988 | Boston Marathon | Boston, United States | 21st | Marathon | 2:17:33 |
| East and Central African Championships | Nairobi, Kenya | 1st | 10,000 m | 29:17.3 | |
| New York City Marathon | New York City, United States | 4th | Marathon | 2:13:50 | |
| Honolulu Marathon | Honolulu, United States | 3rd | Marathon | 2:16:47 | |
| 1989 | Los Angeles Marathon | Los Angeles, United States | 4th | Marathon | 2:15:32 |
| Honolulu Marathon | Honolulu, United States | 3rd | Marathon | 2:14:05 | |
| 1990 | Vienna Marathon | Vienna, Austria | 1st | Marathon | 2:09:28 |
| Berlin Marathon | Berlin, Germany | 2nd | Marathon | 2:08:32 | |
| 1993 | Munich Marathon | Munich, Germany | 1st | Marathon | 2:14:28 |
| Berlin Marathon | Berlin, Germany | 9th | Marathon | 2:14:34 | |
| 1994 | Munich Marathon | Munich, Germany | 1st | Marathon | 2:17:27 |
| Hannover Marathon | Hannover, Germany | 3rd | Marathon | 2:15:11 | |
