Abadi Hadis, the bronze medalist in the 2017 world cross-country championships, died Tuesday.
Ethiopian news site Addis Standard said Hadis was being treated in a hospital for an unspecified illness. Other news outlets reported that the runner had been ailing for several months.
World Athletics said Hadis was one of only five people with a hat trick of milestone performances — under 13 minutes for 5,000 meters, under 27 minutes for 10,000 meters, and under 59 minutes for the half marathon.
Last year, Hadis won the Bahrain Night Half Marathon and finished second in the RAK Half Marathon in the United Arab Emirates.