Bare Foot

Abebe Bikila: The Man Who Ran Into History Barefoot

On the evening of September 10, 1960, an almost unknown Ethiopian soldier lined up for the Olympic marathon in Rome. By the time he crossed the finish line, Abebe Bikila had won in 2 hours, 15 minutes and 16.2 seconds, a world best, and he had done it barefoot. He had also become the first Black African to win an Olympic gold medal.

From Shepherd Boy to Imperial Guardsman

Bikila was born on August 7, 1932, in the village of Jato, near Mendida, in the Ethiopian highlands. The son of a shepherd, he grew up in a world of rugged hills, thin air and long distances covered on foot. In the early 1950s he moved to Addis Ababa and joined the Imperial Bodyguard of Emperor Haile Selassie, a respected career for a young man from the countryside.

It was in the Imperial Guard that his talent was noticed. Onni Niskanen, a Swedish coach working with Ethiopian athletes, spotted Bikila's endurance and discipline and began training him seriously for distance running. Bikila was a late bloomer: he was already about 24 when he began competing in earnest, an age by which many runners have peaked.

An Accidental Olympian

Bikila was not even meant to be in Rome. He went as a late replacement after teammate Wami Biratu injured his ankle playing football shortly before the Games. Almost nobody outside Ethiopia had heard of him, and the favourites that day were runners like Morocco's Rhadi Ben Abdesselam and others from established running nations.

Why Barefoot?

The bare feet were not a publicity stunt. Bikila had been supplied with running shoes by the Games' sponsor, but they did not fit well and caused blisters. Rather than risk 42 kilometres in uncomfortable shoes, he chose to run the way he had trained at home, over hard and uneven ground. Years later, some accounts suggested he simply preferred it that way for a race of that length. Whatever the full reason, it turned out to be a decisive choice.

The Race Through Ancient Rome

The 1960 marathon was one of the most atmospheric in Olympic history. It started on Rome's Capitoline Hill in the evening and wound along the ancient Appian Way, with torches lighting the route as dusk fell. Bikila had studied his rivals and knew that Rhadi Ben Abdesselam wore the number 26. For most of the race the two ran together at the front, the barefoot Ethiopian matching the pace of the favourite.

Then, with about a kilometre to go, Bikila made his move. He accelerated near the Obelisk of Axum, a monument that Italian forces had looted from Ethiopia during the occupation in the 1930s and carried to Rome. He surged away and finished in front of the Arch of Constantine, ahead of Rhadi, who took silver in 2:15:41.6. New Zealand's Barry Magee won the bronze medal.

The symbolism was hard to miss. Less than 25 years after Italy had invaded and occupied his country, an Ethiopian soldier passed a stolen Ethiopian monument on his way to winning gold in the Italian capital. (The Axum Obelisk was finally returned to Ethiopia by Italy in 2005.) For a continent moving toward independence, Bikila's victory was a powerful statement.

Tokyo 1964: Proving It Was No Fluke

Four years later, Bikila arrived in Tokyo as the defending champion but with a serious problem: only about six weeks before the race, he had undergone surgery for appendicitis. Many doubted he could even finish. He not only competed but ran in shoes this time, destroyed the field, and finished in 2:12:11.2, another world best. He beat silver medallist Basil Heatley of Great Britain by more than four minutes.

He became the first man in history to win back-to-back Olympic marathons. Famously, he looked so fresh at the finish that he began stretching and doing exercises on the infield while the other runners were still arriving.

A Remarkable Record

Bikila was dominant across the marathon distance. He is widely credited with winning 12 of the 15 marathons he ran, including victories outside the Olympics in places such as Osaka, Athens and Košice. He was celebrated at home as a national hero and honoured by Emperor Haile Selassie, and he continued to serve in the Imperial Guard.

Mexico City 1968: A Painful Goodbye

He tried for a third consecutive title at the 1968 Games in Mexico City, but a leg injury and the high altitude took their toll, and he was forced to withdraw before the halfway point. Even in defeat, there was a bright side for Ethiopia: his countryman Mamo Wolde went on to win the gold medal, keeping the nation's marathon tradition alive.

Tragedy and Courage

In March 1969, Bikila was involved in a car accident near Addis Ababa that left him paralysed from the waist down. He was treated at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England, the birthplace of the Paralympic movement. Remarkably, he did not retreat from sport. He took up wheelchair competition and archery, and he competed in events for athletes with disabilities, showing the same determination that had carried him through his running career.

Abebe Bikila died on October 25, 1973, at the age of 41, from complications related to a cerebral haemorrhage. Ethiopia held a state funeral, and tens of thousands of mourners lined the streets to say farewell.

The Legacy He Left Behind

Bikila's legacy runs through the whole history of African distance running. Mamo Wolde, Miruts Yifter, Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele and Derartu Tulu, the first Black African woman to win Olympic gold, all followed a trail he blazed. Stadiums, streets and awards in Ethiopia carry his name, and the national stadium in Addis Ababa honours him today.

Quick Facts

• Born: August 7, 1932, Jato, Ethiopia
• Died: October 25, 1973, aged 41
• Rome 1960: Gold, 2:15:16.2, world best, run barefoot
• Tokyo 1964: Gold, 2:12:11.2, world best, run in shoes
• Firsts: First Black African Olympic champion; first to win two Olympic marathons in a row
• Career: Won 12 of 15 marathons

Bikila proved that greatness does not depend on the right equipment, the right passport or the right expectations. It depends on heart, discipline and the courage to run your own race, even when you are running it barefoot.