Abebe Bikila: Athlete who created world record by running in marathon without shoes

Ethiopia's Abebe Bikila was the first athlete to win the Olympic marathon gold medal twice in a row. He even won a gold medal by running barefoot.

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Abebe Bikila running marathon barefoot (Getty)

Abebe Bikila running marathon barefoot (Getty)

Highlights:

Abebe Bikila won gold medal by running barefoot in the marathon.

He became the first athlete to win two consecutive gold medals in a row.

In the Olympic Games, players get a chance to showcase their talent to the world, and every player dreams of bringing glory to their country by winning a medal. Meanwhile, in the 1960 Rome Olympics, a player named 'Abebe Bikila' from a small country made a world record by running barefoot in the Marathon, one of the most difficult sports. In 1960, the Summer Olympic Games were organized in Rome city of Italy. In this, “Abebe Bikila”, a shepherd boy from Ethiopia, a small country in Africa, created history at the age of 28. Created a new world record by completing the 42.195-kilometer marathon in 2:15:16.2 seconds. This time Abebe had finished the marathon almost 3 minutes earlier than his previous record. Along with this, Abebe became the first African to win a gold medal in the Olympic marathon.

 

Made a world record barefoot

 

In the marathon of the 1960 Olympics, Abebe Bikila not only created a new world record but also got his name registered in the pages of history. Abebe became the first athlete to complete a marathon without shoes. Due to fear of getting blisters on his feet, he did not wear new shoes and decided to complete the marathon without them. On this question, he said, "I want to tell the whole world that my country Ethiopia has always won with courage and champion mentality."

 

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Abebe Bikila created history in Olympics

 

In 1964, the Olympic Games were organized in Tokyo city of Japan in which Abebe Bikila broke his own old record and set a new one. This time he completed the marathon wearing shoes in 2:12:11.2 seconds. With this victory, he became the first athlete to win two consecutive gold medals in the Olympics.

 

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Car accident ended career

 

Abebe Bikila was an athlete whom only a few people knew earlier, but after his exploits in the 1960 Olympics, his name came on everyone's lips. After winning gold medals in the 1960 and 1964 Olympics and setting world records, Abebe's career was very difficult. The 1968 Olympics were held in Mexico, in which Abebe attempted to run the marathon with a broken leg. But due to pain he had to give up and this was the last Olympics of his career. Abebe was paralyzed from the lower back down after injuring his collarbone in a car accident in 1969.

 

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