- Born
- Died
- Height5′ 9¾″ (1.77 m)
- Abebe Bikila was born on August 7, 1932 in Jato, Ethiopia. He was a composer, known for BK & Evinha: Só Quero Ver (Visualizer) (2025), Tokyo Olympiad (1965) and The Way It Was (1974). He was married to Yewibdar Giorghis. He died on October 25, 1973 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- SpouseYewibdar Giorghis(1954 - October 25, 1973) (his death, 4 children)
- Came from a family of farmers and was member of the Imperial Guard member of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie before succeeding in military competitions. After his victory in Rome, Selassie offered him a car, an apartment, and a pension for the rest of his life. However, when rebellion arose in the Emperor's Palace, all the Guard were killed. Abebe Bikila escaped from death thanks to the Emperor's intervention.
- Considered the greatest marathon runner of all time.
- First African to win an Olympics medal.
- First ever to win the gold medal in two Olympic marathons.
- In 1969, Bikila was in a tragic car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down for the remainder of his life. Bikila continued to be a national hero in Ethiopia, where many people made pilgrimages to visit him before his death in 1973.
- Men of success meet with tragedy. It was the will of God that I won the Olympics, and it was the will of God that I met with my accident. I accepted those victories as I accepted this tragedy. I have to accept both circumstances as facts of life and live happily.
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