Sofia Assefa

Sofia Assefa (Amharic: ሶፍአ አሠፋ; born 14 November 1987 in Tenta, South Wollo[1]) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specializes in the 3,000 metres steeplechase.

She won the silver medal in the 3,000 metre steeplechase at the 2012 Summer Olympics, with a time of 9:09.84 minutes.

Assefa's athletics career began in 2003, when she competed in the Adjibar high school competition in Tenta, her home district, in the region of South Wollo.

[1] After competing unsuccessfully in the 2005 Ethiopian national championships, she chose to quit school and move to Addis Ababa.

[1] She won silver at the 2010 African Athletics Championships, finishing 40 hundredths of a second behind the winner, Kenya's Milcah Chemos.