 He switched to track running in the 2011 and had wins at the Cezmi Or Memorial and the Sotteville Pro Athlé Tour meet.He was chosen for Ethiopia at the 2011 All-Africa Games and won a 5000 metres bronze medal, finishing behind Uganda's Moses Kipsiro and a younger compatriot Yenew Alamirew.Abayneh struggled in the 2012 season, failing to improve his track bests and missed competitions for almost a year after July.