Abebe Bikila
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Shambel Abebe Bikila was an Ethiopian marathon runner who was a back-to-back Olympic marathon champion. He was the first Ethiopian Olympic gold medalist, winning his first gold medal at the 1960 Summe
Bikila in 1968
Abebe with wife Yewebdar and one of their children
Abebe (#11), following Bertie Messitt (#58), Bakir Benaïssa, Arthur Keily (#46), Aurèle Vandendriessche (#36), and Rhadi Ben Abdesselam (#185)
Moving away from Ben Abdesselam
The men's marathon at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, was held on Saturday September 10, 1960. There were 69 participants from 35 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been s
Abebe Bikila
…with a time of 2:21:23, which was faster than the existing Olympic record held by Emil Zátopek. Niskanen entered Abebe Bikila and Abebe Wakgira in the marathon at the 1960 Rome Olympics, which would be run on September 10. In Rome, Abebe purchased new running shoes, but they did not fit well and gave him…
Left-right: Rhadi Ben Abdesselam, Abebe Bikila, Barry Magee