Abebe Bikila

Abebe Bikila

When I was very young my mother told me the story of Abebe Bikila.  The only thing that remained in my memory was his name, and the way that my mom would repeat the name.  Abebe Bikila!  Who was Abebe Bikila?  During the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Abebe Bikila won the marathon and set a world record.  What is even more remarkable, however, is that he won the marathon and set a world record while running barefoot.  (It sounds better in Italian though.)  Bikila went on to beat his own world record in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, this time with shoes on his feet.  He was the first man to win the Olympic marathon twice.  He ran 16 marathons and won twelve of them.  The rest of his life story is remarkable as well.  Abebe Bikila!  

(Thanks to my brother Nathaniel for reminding me of this story, and for sharing the link in Italian)