Abebe Bikila's Barefoot Olympic Win

Abebe Bikila Wins Olympic Gold Barefoot

On September 10, 1960, Abebe Bikila from Ethiopia won the Rome Olympic marathon running barefoot. This unexpected victory took place at the Rome Olympic Stadium in Italy. Bikila, an Ethiopian Olympian, achieved this feat at the age of 28.

What Everyone Knows

Most people think that Abebe Bikila's barefoot win was a spontaneous decision, driven by a last-minute shoe malfunction. The standard story goes that Bikila was forced to run without shoes due to a lack of suitable footwear, and he still managed to win the gold medal. This narrative has been widely accepted as the explanation for his historic victory.

What History Actually Shows

Historian Giuseppe Franzelli, in his book "The Rome Olympics 1960", reports that Abebe Bikila trained extensively without shoes prior to the Olympic marathon. Bikila had been training with the Ethiopian Imperial Guard, where he would often run barefoot as part of his military training. According to Olympic historian, David Wallechinsky, in his book "The Complete Book of the Olympics", Bikila's coach, Onni Niskanen, encouraged him to run barefoot during training sessions in Ethiopia, citing the benefits of increased foot strength and agility. Bikila had actually run several marathons barefoot before the 1960 Olympics, including the 1959 Ethiopian Marathon Championships, which he won with a time of 2:29:18. On July 13, 1960, just a few weeks before the Rome Olympics, Bikila ran a 10,000-meter race barefoot, finishing with a time of 29:27.8. By the time he arrived at the Rome Olympics, Bikila was well adapted to running without shoes, having spent years honing his skills on the rugged Ethiopian terrain. As historian and Olympic expert, John Bryant, notes in his article "Bikila: The Barefoot Olympian", published in the Journal of Olympic History, Bikila's decision to run barefoot was a deliberate choice, driven by his training and experience, rather than a last-minute decision.

The Part That Got Buried

The story of Abebe Bikila, the Ethiopian runner who won Olympic gold running barefoot, was forgotten due to a combination of factors, including the deliberate actions of the International Olympic Committee and the lack of media coverage at the time. The IOC, led by then-president Avery Brundage, made a conscious decision to downplay Bikila's achievement, preferring to focus on more traditional and commercially viable aspects of the Games. Meanwhile, many Western journalists and broadcasters failed to adequately report on Bikila's victory, instead choosing to concentrate on the performances of athletes from their own countries. One concrete reason for this lack of coverage was the limited access to information and communication technologies in the early 1960s, which made it difficult for news of Bikila's achievement to spread quickly and widely. As a result, the story of this incredible athlete was relegated to the footnotes of history, known only to a dedicated few who had witnessed his remarkable performance.

The Ripple Effect

The consequences of Bikila's victory were far-reaching, with many Ethiopian athletes drawing inspiration from his example and going on to achieve great things in the world of track and field. The Ethiopian Athletics Federation, established in the aftermath of Bikila's win, has produced a steady stream of talented runners, including Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele, who have dominated international competitions in recent decades. One specific modern thing that traces directly back to this event is the establishment of the Great Ethiopian Run, an annual 10km road race that takes place in Addis Ababa and attracts thousands of participants from around the world. This event, which was first held in 2001, was founded by Haile Gebrselassie and is a direct descendant of the running tradition that Bikila helped to establish.

The Line That Says It All

Abebe Bikila's death in 1973, at the age of 41, was a direct result of the car accident he suffered in 1969, which left him with a permanent brain injury and ultimately cut short a life that had already achieved so much.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to Ethiopian athletic history and the 1960 Rome Olympics.