Encyclopedia of world biography on abebe bikila

Home / Athletes & Sports Figures / Encyclopedia of world biography on abebe bikila

He even did some stretches, like touching his toes and cycling his legs in the air.

He was the first runner to ever win two Olympic marathon gold medals in a row. In both victories, he ran in world record time. So, he made a brave decision: he would run the marathon barefoot!

The race in Rome was held in the late afternoon because of the heat.

Even though he couldn't walk again, he slowly regained movement in his arms.

Life After the Accident

In 1970, Abebe started training for wheelchair sports. He returned in time to train with the Ethiopian Olympic team for the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. As a young boy, Abebe played a traditional long-distance game called gena, which is like hockey.

Around 1952, he moved to Addis Ababa and joined the Imperial Guard.

Around the 20-kilometer (12-mile) mark, Abebe took the lead and never looked back. In 2010, the Rome Marathon celebrated the 50th anniversary of his Olympic victory. His coach decided to enter Abebe and another runner, Abebe Wakgira, into the marathon at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.

When Abebe arrived in Rome, he bought new running shoes, but they didn't fit well and gave him blisters.

Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in 59 different languages on Wikipedia. In 1969, he was involved in a major car accident, resulting in multiple injuries and paralysis.

He was 25 seconds faster than Ben Abdesselam. It started at the Capitoline Hill and finished at night near the Arch of Constantine. A month later, he won another race there with a time that was faster than the Olympic record at the time. He was also given a car and a house.

In 1961, Abebe won the Athens Classical Marathon, again running barefoot.

In 1956, Abebe came in second in an army championship race.

Abebe married Yewebdar Wolde-Giorgis in 1960. Both times, he set new world records.

Abebe was a soldier in the Ethiopian Imperial Guard, a special group that protected the emperor. Growing up, he led a normal life, taking care of livestock and exploring the surrounding areas.

In 1967, he got a leg injury that stopped him from finishing his last two marathons. The emperor declared a day of mourning for this national hero. He died from a brain hemorrhage, which was related to his car accident four years earlier.