Foto: IMAGO

Helen Bekele has lived in Geneva since 2016, she is married to former top Swiss runner Tesfaye Eticha and has been a Swiss citizen since February. In her first sporting appearance for Switzerland at the end of February, the Ethiopian-born woman beat the Olympic qualification cut-off time by 85 seconds at the Osaka Marathon in a time of 2:25:25. With her current best marathon time of 2:19:44, the 29-year-old still has plenty to offer.

Helen Bekele, you’ve been able to represent Switzerland since February. What does this change of nationality mean to you?

I've been living in Switzerland for around eight years and was really pleased to get the news. When I travelled to Osaka for my first marathon of the season, I felt mixed emotions: On the one hand I was kind of sad to have left my native country of Ethiopia due to the nationality change (Ethiopia does not allow citizens to hold dual nationality; editorial comment), while on the other I was happy to now be able to participate in international championships thanks to Swiss citizenship.  My family and people around me were really happy for me because they knew that going to the Olympic Games was a lifelong dream of mine.

By changing nationality you have now become the fastest Swiss woman, as your personal record (2:19:44 in Berlin 2023) is significantly faster than the current Swiss record held by Fabienne Schlumpf (2:24:30 in Valencia 2023). How important is this national record to you?

It’s really motivating for me to have another fast Swiss runner like Fabienne Schlumpf as a competitor as we can really push one another. Breaking the Swiss record is a great achievement and motivates me going forwards. However, I'm not thinking about that at the moment as I'm currently focusing on the Olympic Games in Paris. I'd love to break the record in front of a Swiss audience, perhaps at the Zurich Marathon in 2025. I think I can beat my personal best time and I'll be training hard to achieve this.

How are you preparing for the Olympic Games in Paris?

At the first training camp in Ethiopia, I'll mainly be working on strength and endurance. After that, I'll be preparing more specifically for the Games in St. Moritz as well as a few shorter runs plus the half-marathon at the European Athletics Championships in June. I don’t have a specific plan yet. I'm not planning to enter too many competitions.

Are you aiming for a particular result in Paris?

Marathons are always unpredictable but my goal is to place in the top ten. An Olympic medal would be a dream.

The more success you have, the greater the expectations. How do you deal with this?

There’s always a certain pressure when preparing for major goals. That’s why I focus on being fit for the competition and trusting in my running. I don’t focus on the result as I can't control how my competitors perform.

Spring entices lots of amateur runners to start training outdoors. What tips do you have for them?

After a longer break, I personally begin with a gentle jog and around just half of my normal training workload. Then I gradually increase the training intensity day by day. It’s important not to start off too intensively - listen to your body and how it feels instead.

Do you have an insider tip you would be willing to share with us?

My training tip is don’t just run fast. Regular footing is also important, i.e. an easy run, perhaps interspersed with three or four short sprints. This helps to increase your speed. Another tip: I often take a short nap after a tough training session to recharge my batteries.