Biography

Haile Gebrselassie is an Ethiopian distance runner. He was born in the city of Bekoji, in the Arsi region of central Ethiopia. In the 10,000m competition he has 2 Olympic gold medals, 4 World Championships, and held the world record until it was broken by compatriot Kenenisa Bekele. He won the Berlin Marathon 4 times in a row and the Dubai Marathon 3 times straight. Haile was the 2001 Half Marathon World Champion, and has broken 61 Ethiopian National Records over distances ranging from 800m to the marathon. He held the Marathon world record for 4 years and the 10,000m world record for 6 years. He is widely considered the greatest distance runner of all time.
- IMDb mini biography by: Colt "Bekele" McLendon

Haile Gebrselassie is a retired Ethiopian long-distance track and road running athlete.

He won two Olympic gold medals over 10,000 meters and four World Championship titles in the event. He won the Berlin Marathon four times consecutively and had three straight wins at the Dubai Marathon. Further to this, he won four world titles indoors and was the 2001 World Half Marathon Champion.

In the Athens 2004: Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (2004), Haile sought to become the first man in history to win three straight Olympic gold medals in the 10,000 meters. He was unable to do so; however, he finished fifth in a race won by his compatriot Kenenisa Bekele. Shortly before the Athens games, Haile was unable to train for three weeks due to inflammation of his Achilles tendon. The injury was severe enough that he would not have competed otherwise, but did so because of significant pressure from his country. This loss of the final period of training likely cost him a medal.

Because of Beijing's air pollution levels, Haile decided to withdraw from the marathon at the Beijing 2008: Games of the XXIX Olympiad (2008). He did, however, run the 10,000 meters on 17 August, finishing sixth with a time of 27:06.68.

Haile had major competition wins at distances between 1500 meters and the marathon, moving from outdoor, indoor and cross country running to road running in the latter part of his career. He broke 61 Ethiopian national records ranging from 800 meters to the marathon, set 27 world records, and is regarded as one of the greatest distance runners in history.

In September 2008, at the age of 35, he won the Berlin Marathon with a world record time of 2:03:59, breaking his own world record by 27 seconds. The record stood for three years. Since he was over the age of 35, that mark stood as the Masters Age group world record until 29 September 2019, when fellow Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele ran 2:01:41 at the age of 37. Gebrselassie's 10000 m Masters record has not been challenged since 2008.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tango Papa

Ethiopian long-distance runner. Has won lots of titles and world records in 5,000m and 10,000m races.