One of the greatest moments in Olympic history occurred 60 years ago when Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila won the Rome marathon while running barefoot. He would repeat the feat four years later at the Tokyo Olympics.
The son of a shepherd, Bikila worked as a bodyguard for Emperor Haile Selassie before being selected to represent his country at the Olympics in Rome. He decided to run barefoot because his shoes gave him blisters.
Born in 1932
Abebe Bikila is widely considered to be the most important figure in the history of long-distance running. He was the first Ethiopian to win two Olympic marathon titles, and he did so while running barefoot. He also set a world record in both of his victories.
Bikila was born in Jato in 1932 and moved to Addis Ababa as a teen, where he joined the Imperial Guard, a special army unit that provided security for Emperor Haile Selassie. He quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a captain in the palace guard. In the mid-1950s, he began training for marathons with a Swedish coach named Onni Niskanen. The regimented training included regular runs at high altitudes, which increased his endurance and strength.
When the Olympics came to Rome in 1960, Bikila entered the marathon with his teammate, Abebe Wakgira. Although the coach had given them new shoes to wear, Bikila felt they would give him blisters and opted to run barefoot. His decision paid off, and he won the gold medal in a time of 2 hours 15 minutes 16.2 seconds.
He was the first person to ever win an Olympic marathon in a barefoot race, and he inspired a generation of East African runners. Today, many of them continue his legacy, winning marathons and setting world records with bare feet. The New York Road Runners club has even started an annual award called the Abebe Bikila Award to honor athletes who have made significant contributions to long-distance running. The winner receives a trophy with a picture of Abebe Bikila on it.
Competed in 1960
In 1960, Abebe Bikila became the first person from sub-Saharan Africa to win an Olympic marathon and forever changed the sport of distance running. His story is not only a remarkable feat, but also an important reminder that shoes aren’t always necessary when it comes to competition.
A soldier in the palace guards of emperor Haile Selassie, Bikila took up running relatively late in life but quickly showed natural ability and potential. He was spotted by Swedish coach Onni Niskanen and given a structured training programme. He won the Armed Forces championship in 1960 and was subsequently selected to represent Ethiopia at the Rome Olympics.
On the day of the race, Bikila breasted the finish line at the Arch of Constantine in a world and Olympic record time of 2:15:16.2. He beat Moroccan runner Rhadi Ben Abdesselam by a few seconds.
Bikila was little known outside of Ethiopia at the time but he is widely considered one of the greatest marathon runners of all time. He is also remembered for choosing to run barefoot at the Rome games. It is a choice that inspired a whole generation of athletes and is still a popular training option for many. Vibram, for example, makes a line of shoes called the “Bikila”, in honor of the renowned athlete. This video has some great slow-motion footage of the runner in action.
Set a World Record
Abebe Bikila was little known outside his homeland when he won the marathon at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome running barefoot. His victory was a major milestone for Africa as it signalled the beginning of decolonisation. The win also inspired many future distance runners and continues to inspire to this day. The streets of Rome were lined with people cheering for the runners, including Italian soldiers. The runner had been level with race favourite Rhadi Ben Abdesselam of Morocco for most of the course until he began to pull away with less than a kilometre to go. His coach told him to make his final move at the point where the course passed an obelisk that had been plundered from Ethiopia by the Italians and hauled back to Rome.
This was exactly the move that Bikila made, which allowed him to gain a clear lead over Abdesselam and run home in glory. He threw his arms up and sprinted to the finish line, beating the Moroccan by more than four minutes.
Bikila defended his title at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, despite having undergone an appendectomy 40 days before the race. This time, he wore shoes and finished the race in 2:12:11.2, a new world record. He dominated the race and won easily by more than four minutes over the next runner, Ron Clarke of Australia and Jim Hogan of Ireland.
Died in 1973
The 1960 marathon victory of Bikila was one of the most important moments in Olympic history. It brought pride to Ethiopia and opened the door for other African runners to excel in long-distance events. His story has inspired many athletes, including modern-day legends like Haile Gebrselassie and Paul Tergat.
Born in a rural village, Bikila worked hard from an early age. He had a natural talent for running, and would run 20 kilometers (12 miles) from his home in Jato to Addis Ababa and back each day during the mid-1950s. In 1956, he came in second in an army race, and was later noticed by a Swedish coach named Onni Niskanen, who started training him for marathons.
At the 1960 Rome Olympics, he ran the marathon barefoot, a first for sub-Saharan Africa. He tied with Rhadi Ben Abdesselam for most of the race, but broke away in the final kilometer. He finished 25 seconds ahead of the Moroccan, setting a world record in the process. Four years later, he defended his title in Tokyo – this time wearing shoes — and set another world record.
He suffered a terrible car accident in 1969 that left him quadriplegic, but his incredible spirit remained intact, and he competed in events for disabled athletes until his death in 1973. A stadium in Addis Ababa was named after him, and his family received his Olympic ring from the woman who found it at the stadium after the race.