Abebe Bikila Trivia Questions

He lived and trained in the Ethiopian highlands (around 2,500 meters), boosting his red blood cell count and oxygen efficiency.

Bikila was tragically paralyzed in a car accident in 1969. He never worked as a diplomat and died in 1973.

Ethiopia had never won an Olympic gold before Bikila's 1960 marathon win. He became a national hero overnight.

In 1964, Bikila won his second gold wearing shoes, not barefoot—he had appendectomy surgery just six weeks before the race and needed the support.

Bikila trained with shoes, but on race day his new pair gave him blisters, so he ran barefoot—winning gold and setting a world record.

His time of 2:15:16.2 was a world record, and the Rome course included sections of cobblestones and uneven roads.

Bikila did lose some marathons: he placed second in one race and did not finish two others. He won 13 of his 16 career marathons, so he was not unbeaten.

African athletes had won Olympic gold before 1960—e.g., South African runners in the 1920s. Bikila was the first black African from an independent nation.