28 moments

  1. Birth at Jato

    · Jato, Abichuna Gne'a, Oromia, Ethiopia

    Abebe Bikila was born in Jato, a village near Mendida in what is now Oromia, Ethiopia. Jato is mapped here by the representative coordinate for Abichuna Gne'a woreda; the cited locality is described as near Mendida.

  2. Daily hill training from Sululta

    · Sululta, Oromia, Ethiopia

    During the mid-1950s, Bikila's training included daily runs between Sululta's hills and Addis Ababa, an early foundation of his endurance running. The source supports only a mid-1950s period; 1950 is used as a broad decade-level date marker.

  3. Move to Addis Ababa and Imperial Guard service

    · Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Bikila relocated to Addis Ababa and soon joined the Imperial Guard's 5th Infantry Regiment, beginning the military career alongside which he developed as a runner. The move is dated by the source as the year before his approximately 1952 enlistment.

  4. Armed Forces championship

    · Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Bikila placed second in the Ethiopian Armed Forces championship in Addis Ababa, an early documented competitive appearance.

  5. Homecoming parade after Rome

    · Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    After the Rome victory, Bikila returned to Addis Ababa, where he was paraded through the city and presented to Emperor Haile Selassie. The return date is not stated more precisely than 1960.

  6. First marathon victory

    · Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Bikila won his first marathon in Addis Ababa, immediately before his Olympic breakthrough.

  7. Olympic-trials victory

    · Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    A month after his first marathon win, Bikila again won in Addis Ababa in a time faster than the standing Olympic record. The source establishes the month only relative to the July 1960 race.

  8. Barefoot Olympic marathon victory

    · Arch of Constantine, Rome, Italy

    Barefoot Olympic marathon victory
    Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · file

    Bikila won the Rome Olympic marathon barefoot in world-record time, becoming the first Ethiopian Olympic gold medalist. Coordinate marks the documented finish at the Arch of Constantine rather than the full road-race route.

  9. Athens Classical Marathon victory

    · Athens, Greece

    Bikila won the Athens Classical Marathon, his second and final competitive marathon run barefoot. The source gives year but not a day or month.

  10. Mainichi Marathon victory

    · Osaka, Japan

    Bikila won the Mainichi Marathon in Osaka during his 1961 international racing season. The race is also known as the Biwa-ko Mainichi Marathon.

  11. Košice Peace Marathon victory

    · Košice, Czechoslovakia

    Bikila won the Košice Peace Marathon, completing his 1961 sequence of victories in Athens, Osaka, and Košice. Košice was in Czechoslovakia in 1961; it is now in Slovakia.

  12. 10,000-metre performance

    · Berlin, West Germany

    Bikila recorded a documented 10,000-metre personal best in Berlin, showing international track competition alongside his marathon career. The source supplies year and city but not a precise venue or competition date.

  13. Boston Marathon

    · Boston, Massachusetts, United States

    Bikila finished fifth at the Boston Marathon, the only international marathon of his competitive career that he completed without winning. Coordinate marks the traditional Boston finish area; the 1963 course was point-to-point.

  14. Pre-Olympic training and appendectomy

    · Debre Zeyit (Bishoftu), Ethiopia

    While training in Debre Zeit before the Tokyo Olympics, Bikila developed pain and was taken to hospital for acute appendicitis and surgery. The exact hospital is not identified; coordinate represents Debre Zeyit, the documented training location.

  15. Second Olympic marathon gold

    · National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan

    Second Olympic marathon gold
    Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0 · file

    Bikila won Tokyo's Olympic marathon in a world-record time, becoming the first man to defend an Olympic marathon title successfully. Coordinate represents the Olympic stadium where Bikila entered alone and finished.

  16. World's Fair ceremonial half-marathon

    · Singer Bowl, Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York, United States

    Bikila and Mamo Wolde ran a ceremonial half-marathon for the opening of the 1965 World's Fair season, carrying greetings from Haile Selassie. Coordinate marks the Singer Bowl, the documented finish; the event began at the Arsenal in Central Park.

  17. Second Mainichi Marathon victory

    · Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan

    The month after the New York World's Fair ceremony, Bikila returned to Japan and won his second Mainichi Marathon in Shiga Prefecture. Ōtsu is used as the representative location for the Shiga Prefecture race.

  18. Zarautz International Marathon victory

    · Zarautz, Spain

    Bikila won the Zarautz International Marathon during a year in which he also won the Incheon–Seoul Marathon. The source gives year but not the race date.

  19. Incheon–Seoul Marathon victory

    · Seoul, South Korea

    Bikila won the Incheon–Seoul Marathon, his final completed marathon. The event was a point-to-point marathon from Incheon to Seoul; coordinate represents the documented site listed by the results database.

  20. Zarautz marathon withdrawal

    · Zarautz, Spain

    Bikila started but did not finish the Zarautz International Marathon after injuring his hamstring, an injury from which he did not fully recover. The source spells the place as Zarauz; Zarautz is the standard Basque/Spanish place name.

  21. Olympic-team training

    · Asmara, Eritrea

    After his German treatment, Bikila joined Ethiopia's Olympic team training in Asmara before the Mexico City Games. Asmara was part of Ethiopia in 1968 and is now the capital of Eritrea; the source does not provide a more precise training date.

  22. Medical treatment in Germany

    · Germany

    Bikila travelled to Germany for treatment of circulatory ailments in his legs as he prepared for the Mexico City Olympics. The source does not identify a German city; coordinate is a representative point for Germany.

  23. Final Olympic marathon appearance

    · Mexico City, Mexico

    Seeking a third successive Olympic marathon title, Bikila started the Mexico City marathon but withdrew after roughly 16 kilometres because of a fibula fracture. Coordinate represents Estadio Olímpico Universitario, the principal Olympic stadium; the marathon was a road event.

  24. Transfer to Stoke Mandeville Hospital

    · Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Stoke Mandeville, England, United Kingdom

    Transfer to Stoke Mandeville Hospital
    Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · file

    Following his car crash, Bikila was transferred to Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England, where he received prolonged treatment and regained some upper-body function.

  25. Stoke Mandeville wheelchair games

    · Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Stoke Mandeville, England, United Kingdom

    Bikila appeared at the International Stoke Mandeville Games after paralysis, competing in the disability-sport movement that preceded the Paralympics. The article also reports that he competed in archery and table tennis during the July 1970 games.

  26. Disabled-sport competition in Norway

    · Norway

    Bikila competed in a Norwegian event for disabled athletes and won its cross-country sleigh-riding competition. The source identifies Norway but not the host locality; coordinate is a representative point for the country.

  27. Special guest at Munich Olympics

    · Olympic Stadium, Munich, West Germany

    Special guest at Munich Olympics
    Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · file

    Bikila attended the opening ceremony of the Munich Olympics as a special guest and received a standing ovation. The opening ceremony of the Munich Games took place on 26 August 1972.

  28. Death in Addis Ababa

    · Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Bikila died in Addis Ababa from a cerebral haemorrhage related to injuries from his 1969 car accident.

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