Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Misgana Wakuma claimed a silver medal at the Caixa World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Brasília, becoming Ethiopia’s first athlete to win a global race walking medal. His runner-up position is also the highest achieved by an African athlete in the history of the championships.
About a month after his silver medal performance, Wakuma successfully defended his African 20km race walk title in Accra, setting a national record with a time of 1:18:47. He accomplished these feats without a personal coach, though he is open to working with one if a suitable candidate approaches him.
Since switching from running to race walking five years ago, Wakuma has made significant strides, including winning the 10,000m race walk at the Ethiopian U20 Championships and improving at the African U20 Championships. In 2024, he won the Ethiopian Championships with a time that ranks him 15th on the world all-time list. He has also earned gold medals at the African Championships and All-African Games, and placed in the top 10 at the 2024 World Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya, Türkiye. Notably, he finished sixth in the 20km race walk at the Paris Olympic Games, setting a national record of 1:19:31 and staying with the leaders until near the end of the race.
Wakuma credits inspiration from Ethiopian race walker Yehualeye Beletew and highlights the importance of altitude training, self-belief, and nutrition—including meat, eggs, milk, and traditional Ethiopian food such as injera—as key factors in his success.