Quick Facts
Also Known As: Shambel Abebe Bikila
Died At Age: 41
Born Country: Ethiopia
Athletes Marathon Runners
Height: 5'10" (178 cm), 5'10" Males
Died on: October 25, 1973
place of death: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Cause of Death: Cerebral Hemorrhage
Childhood & Early Life
Born to a poor family, Abebe Bikila was the son of a shepherd and was raised in a village called Jato.
To support his family, young Bikila joined the Imperial Bodyguard Squad of the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie.
His life took a turn when Swedish Coach, Onni Niskanen recognized Bikila’s athletic talent when he was sent to a government camp.
Abebe Bikila began to prepare for the Olympics when he was 24 years old.
Career
In 1958, Bikila entered the National Armed Forces Championship marathon competition, won it and qualified to enter the Rome Olympic Games in 1960.
A barefooted Bikila won the Olympic marathon in 2 hours, 15 minutes and 16.2 seconds, making his country proud.
In 1964, he participated in the Japan Olympics, even though he had not recovered from his appendicitis surgery, and won a medal for his country, setting a world record as the first man to win double-Olympics marathon.
After his car accident in 1969, Bikila became quadriplegic but his love for sports did not falter.
As a paraplegic athlete, he competed in the International Paraplegic Games in Norway and many other such events.
Awards & Achievements
Abebe Bikila was the first African to win the Olympic marathon gold medal and is known as the first athlete to win two Olympic gold medals in marathon.
He participated in fifteen marathons in his lifetime including the Olympics and Ethiopian marathons.
Olympic gold medal in 1960 Rome Summer Games.
A second Olympics gold medal in the 1964Tokyo Olympics.
Winner of many other marathons including the marathon in Kosice, Zarauz, South Korea, Otsu and the 20,000 meters marathon in Copenhagen.
Personal Life & Legacy
Bikila was married to Yewubdar, with whom he had four children.
Abebe Bikila was paralyzed after a car accident in 1969.
He was treated for eight months at the Stoke Mandeville hospital in England before he returned.
He was unable to participate in any marathons after this accidents but his love for sports did not falter.
He continued to participate in games including the Paraplegic Sport Competition in England and the International Paraplegic Games in Norway despite his poor physical condition.
His willpower made him a great Olympic hero as well as an inspiration for his country and the rest of the world.
Abebe Bikila passed away on October 25, 1973, owing to complications of the 1969 car accident that had also caused a parallel cerebral hemorrhage.
As a tribute to Abebe Bikila, Siraj Gena ran barefoot for the last three hundred meters of the Abebe Bikila’s Olympics Race in 2010 and won the same.
The Yaya Abebe Bikila Primary Village School was established by the Mendida community and a stadium is named in his honor in Addis Ababa.
Facts About Abebe Bikila
Abebe Bikila won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, becoming the first African to win an Olympic gold in a long-distance running event.
Despite not having any formal training or professional coaching, Bikila’s natural talent and determination propelled him to become one of the greatest marathon runners in history.
Bikila’s victory in the 1960 Olympics was a surprise to many as he was relatively unknown in the international running community at the time.
He set a new world record in the marathon at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first person to win consecutive Olympic marathons.
After a car accident left him paralyzed from the waist down, Bikila turned to archery and competed in the Paralympic Games, demonstrating his resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity.
