Abebe Bikila - Gold Medalist at the 1960 and 1964 Olympic Marathon Events

Abebe Bikila (August 7, 1932 - October 25, 1973) was a two-time Olympic marathon champion from Ethiopia.

Abebe Bikila, born in Jatoo, Ethiopia, became a national hero after winning the Olympic gold medal in the marathon at the 1960 Summer Olympics. At the Games held in Rome, Bikila ran the entire length of the marathon barefoot, setting a world record of 2hr 15min 16.2 sec.

At the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo Bikila was in a weakened condition. He had had his appendix removed six weeks before the race, which forced him to curtail his training for the marathon. Nevertheless, Bikila, this time wearing running shoes, repeated as Olympic marathon champion, again setting a world record (2hr 12min 11.2 sec).

At the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City, Bikila was affected by the high altitude, injury, and age, and withdrew from the marathon race after 17 kilometers. In 1969, Bikila was involved in a car accident near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. He never regained his full health and died in Addis Ababa at the age of 41 from a disease he had suffered from for many months. Source

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