الايثوبى راعى الاغنام أببى بكيلا أحد عظماء إفريقيا الذى سيظل يذكره التاريخ بكل الحب والتقدير!!

Ethiopian Sport Hero and Legend Abebe Bikila Abebe Bikila (1932 - 1973) Abebe Bikila Abebe Bikila was exceptionally talented at the marathon, winning two gold medals, setting world records, in the process heralding a new era in marathon running, one in which speed was the key to victory, rather than raw strength and endurance. More than three decades after his running career ended, Bikila is widely recognized as the greatest marathoner of all-time. Abebe Bikila was born in 1932 in a town called Jato, outside of Addis Ababa. According to tradition, he spent most of his childhood as a shepherd and a student. In 1952, young Abebe was hired by the Imperial Body Guard. In 1954, he married W/t Yewibdar W/Giorghis with whom he had four children. Bikila spent a number of years with the Imperial Guard before he distinguished himself as an athlete. His defining moment came when he was watching a parade of Ethiopian athletes who had participated in the Melbourne Olympics. Looking at the athletes who were wearing a uniform with names written on the back, he asked who they were. When told that they were athletes who represented Ethiopia in the Olympics, he was determined to be one of them. In 1956, at the age of 24, he participated in the national armed forces championships. Abebe Bikila The hero of the time was Wami Biratu, who held the national records in 5,000 and 10,000 meters. During the marathon, the crowd at the stadium was waiting, expecting to see Biratu win the race. In the first few miles, Wami was leading. After a while, radio broadcasters informed the crowd that a young unknown athlete by the name of Abebe was leading. As Bikila was extending his lead, the crowd waited anxiously to see this new sensation. Bikila easily won his first major race and later on went to break the 5,000 and 10,000 meter records held by Wami. With those impressive results, he qualified for the Rome Olympics. Finally, Bikila's dream of wearing that outfit with Ethiopia's name written on the back was realized. Abebe's race in the Rome Olympics established him as a running legend. Not only did he win the race, he also set a new world record of 2:16:02, running on the cobblestone streets of Rome without shoes. He was also the first African to win an Olympic medal. Commenting on why he had run on bare feet, Abebe said, "I wanted the world to know that my country Ethiopia has always won with determination and heroism." Bikila came to Boston in 1963, the heavy favorite to take the historic marathon. But cold winds blowing in off the ocean in the late miles felled the great Ethiopian, and he settled for fifth place in a pedestrian 2:24. At the Tokyo Olympics a year later, Bikila's fame had reached all corners of the globe. Despite the Boston debacle, he was favored to win the Olympic Marathon yet again. Six weeks before the marathon however, Bikila was taken ill with Appendicitis. He underwent surgery amid a public outcry for a proper medical treatment. The day he arrived in Tokyo, he hadn't fully recovered from the surgery and limped down stairs. However, the reception Abebe received from the Japanese people helped him recover quickly and unexpectedly. Along with teammates Mamo Wolde and Demssie Wolde, Bikila resumed his regular training a few days after his arrival in Tokyo. The marathon, particularly the way Abebe won it barely six weeks after his surgery, was astonishing. This time he wore shoes, but still won the race easily. And the gymnastic display he showed right after finishing the race is now a classic image engraved in the minds of hundreds of millions of people. This was also the first time ever that the Olympic marathon race was won consecutively by the same athlete. The new world record of 2:12:11 that Abebe set was icing on a cake for this remarkable race. Bikila trained hard for the Mexico City Olympics of 1968. Unfortunately, he had to withdraw from the race after 15 kilometers. His compatriot, Mamo Wolde would later finish the race victoriously. Bikila competed in more than 26 major marathon races in his illustrious athletic career. The world championships he won in 1960 and 1962 deserve special recognition. In 1968, The legendary Bikila was involved in a car accident in the city of Sheno near Addis Ababa that left him paralyzed below the waist. Over the next several months, he was treated both in Ethiopia and abroad. Even while in a wheelchair, Abebe's competitive spirit and helped him compete and win several races. In 1970, he participated in a 25 Km cross-country competition in Norway where he won the gold medal. The illustrious life of the legendary Abebe Bikila came to a tragic end in October of 1973 when he finally succumbed to a disease he had battled for many months. This eternal Ethiopian hero was buried in the grounds of the St. Joseph church in the presence of a huge crowd and the then emperor, Atse Haile Selassie. His life was over, but the memories remained. Bikila ushered in a new era in marathon running - and he made it look easy. Haile Gebreselassie Haile Gebreselasie Gebreselassie, just 23, slashed the world 5,000 record by an astounding 11 seconds on a tumultuous Zurich night last August. In addition he holds the world outdoor 10,000 meter and two-mile marks and switched serenely from the track to the boards this year to shatter the world indoor 3,000 and 5,000

Encyclopedia of World Biography on Abebe Bikila Ethiopian track and field athlete, Abebe Bikila (1932-1973), was the first black African to win an Olympic medal, and the first man ever to win two Olympic marathons. Known for his grace and stamina, he was considered the most perfect example of a naturally talented distance runner. Abebe Bikila, the son of a shepherd, did not begin running until he was 24 years old. Bikila was born in the mountains of Ethiopia. When he was old enough, Bikila became a private in the army and bodyguard of Haile Selassie, the emperor of Ethiopia. As part of his training, he was sent to a camp that the government had set up after World War II. At the camp, Swedish coach, Onni Niskanen recognized that Bikila had exceptional talent in running. In the 6,000-foot high mountains, he led Bikila and the others through grueling workouts. Runs of up to twenty miles and repeated sprints of 1,500 meters were common.

Credit-Card Crackdown » A Moment of Rest Away From The Whirling Whir of the World: A Lost Story Posted by DR. CLARISSA PINKOLA ESTÉS, Deputy Managing Editor, Columnist in At TMV. May 2nd, 2008 abebe-bikila.png This is Abebe Bikila. He is from Ethiopia. He was overlooked and did everything wrong. His was not an auspicious beginning. His father was a shepherd, and it was expected Abebe would be a shepherd too. But, he decided there would be more food for him and his family if he joined the Regimental Bodyguards. He did so, but did not progress past the rank of private. He was good enough, but nothing to write home about. The Bodyguards held maneuvers. A Finnish fellow, Mjr. Onni Niskanen, was brought in to choose some men to train athletically. He noticed Abebe was pretty athletic and put him in his group. Abebe did okay, but he was nothing to write home about. It was 1960 and in ancient countries during those modern times, the training for athletes for the Olympics was not as organized as it is today. The Rome Olympics were held in 1960 and at the last minute one of Ethiopia’s Olympian runners broke his ankle. Abebe was commandeered as the plane was about to leave for Rome. Abebe would replace the injured runner. But, no one expected much, for Abebe was nothing to write home about. The athletic shoe company, Adidas, one of the sponsors at the 1960 Rome Olympics, did not have Abebe’s correct shoe size. They gave him an ill-fitting pair of shoes to run in. A couple hours before the Olympics marathon, Abebe just couldn’t manage the poor-fitting shoes, and so decided to run barefoot instead, just as he trained back home in Ethiopia. All other runners would wear shoes, but no one objected to Abebe’s decision, cause Abebe wasn’t all that much to write home about. However, his coach, the old Finn, Mjr. Onni Niskanen, advised Abebe the runner to beat would be the fastest one, a Mr. Rhadi Ben Abdesselam from Morocco, who would be wearing bib Number 26. For reasons no one could explain later, the fastest runner Mr. Rhadi Ben Abdesselam from Morocco never picked up his black bib Number 26, and instead was wearing Number 185. As the race began, the barefooted Abebe ran really hard, passing runner after runner, looking, looking to find and pass Number 26. At 12 miles into the marathon, Abebe and one other runner, Number 185, had put a large gap between themselves out front with the other runners behind. Abebe was running his heart out, sure that the fastest runner, Number 26 must still be far ahead of him. Abebe put every last cell into running as he tried with everything in him, to catch up to the phantom Number 26. Number 185 and Abebe ran and ran and ran, neck and neck up until the last 500 meters, when Abebe found a last reserve of power in himself and ran even faster, sprinting across the finish line ahead of the fastest runner, who unbeknownst to him had been running beside him all the time. Abebe was the first African to win an Olympic gold medal. As the oldest tellers in our family say to end stories, “So, here’s to us who have been given such a good story to tell,” … and especially, here’s to Abebe. i thank You God for most this amazing day By e.e. cummings i thank You God for most this amazing day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes (i who have died am alive again today, and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay great happening illimitably earth) how should tasting touching hearing seeing breathing any – lifted from the no of all nothing – human merely being doubt unimaginable You? (now the ears of my ears awake and now the eyes of my eyes are opened) feet1960olympics003.jpg _______________ CODA: a picture of Abebe and his big beautiful feet. Abebe lived through various coups and wars in Ethiopia, and ran in additional Olympics contests and other big profile marathons and won many of them. He was given a white VW Beetle as a reward by Haile Selassie, the emperor of Ethiopia. This car was quite a stand out, as cars were rare among the people of Ethiopia. During a civil unrest, Abebe had to swerve his VW to avoid a group of onrushing student protesters. He suffered in an instant from spinal cord injury, paraplegia. Yet Abebe vowed he would try to compete in paraplegics’ archery contests. But Abebe, the barefoot boy who ran his heart out, suffered a sudden stroke and died… this, only 13 years after his famous Olympics gold. This sweet man had had only 41 years on earth. But remains a giant in ever so many ways. A lot, a great deal, a huge amount of body and soul to write home about. ShareThis response(s) to this topic so far. Open Scholarship Program 2011 for International Student

XVI Rome’s Marathon: a tribute to Abebe Bikila •March 24, 2010 • Leave a Comment Yesterday more than 15.000 people ran XVI Rome’s Marathon. Even though this race is not famous as the NYC Marathon, probably it is one of most spectacular. It provides the runners unique historical surroundings. It starts beside Colosseum, then it takes place all along the main sites, so that you have the chance to run into history. As I’m not a runner, my attention is focused on the social event. So that I was so moved by the winner and his tribute to another unforgettable Ethiopian runner: Abebe Bikila. After 50 years from the triumph of Abebe Bikila at Rome Olympic Games held in 1960, the Ethiopian Siraj Gena won the 16th edition of the Marathon, dedicated to the legendary champion. 500 metres before finishing the race, he took off his shoes, and ran barefoot, like Abebe Bikila in 1960. Looking at the images of this event, I recollected my experience in Konso, a small Ethiopian village. It was August 2005, and I was there as a tour guide after a trip all along Omo river valley. Our accommodation was in a small and simple guest house, where the people from the village used to watch TV. We attended with them the Athletics World Championship: 5.000 metres final race, a big challenge between Kenya and Ethiopia, which ended in a sprint for the line in the last lap. I remember the room full of young men, their passion, the importance of the race, the ‘electric’ atmosphere, the excitement while waiting for the start. I realized that only sports like running, marathons, can give a chance in a poor country. There’s no need of expensive equipment or famous trainers as in other sports. The winner becomes a real symbol for all the people. Here a race can be really worthwhile. Thank you guys, for this lesson …