ADDIS ABABA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia is well-prepared to win more than four medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics and write a new chapter in the country's athletics history, a senior official of the Ethiopian Olympic Committee said.

Briefing the media on Sunday in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, Ashebir Woldegiorgis, president of the Ethiopian Olympic Committee, said top-performing athletes are leaving for Paris to pick up scores of gold medals from the event.

"We are leaving for Paris to grab as many gold medals in marathon, 10,000-meter, 5,000-meter, and 3,000-meter, and in many other competitions. We are not going there to lose," said Woldegiorgis in an interview with Xinhua after the briefing.

Ethiopia will take part in marathon, 10,000-meter and 5,000-meter running events, 3,000-meter steeplechase, swimming, and boxing, among others.

Kenenisa Bekele, former world record holder in both 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter and Olympic gold medalist at Beijing 2008, will represent the East African country at the upcoming Olympics.

According to the president, the women's marathon event will feature world record-holder Tigist Assefa and three other famous athletes.

Selemon Barega will defend his 10,000-meter title and also compete in the 5,000-meter event, while current women's world record holder for 5,000-meter Gudaf Tsegay will enter both the women's 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter races in Paris.

World record holder Lamecha Girma, along with three others, will compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase after securing silver in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

"We are ready to win. Really, we have made good preparations," Woldegiorgis told Xinhua, noting that it won't be easy to compete with athletes coming from all over the world.

Ethiopia won four medals, including one gold, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The president said this time confidence is high that Ethiopia will by far surpass its four medals earned at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Enditem

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