Abebe Bikila: the Olympic champion who ran barefoot

Was Abebe Bikila’s destiny not written from the moment he was born on August 7, 1932, the day of the marathon at the Los Angeles Games? In 1960, when he appeared at the starting line of the Rome Olympic Marathon barefoot, no one could have predicted such a scenario. Abebe Bikila, the barefoot marathon runner with a brilliant career, has forever left his mark on the history of the marathon.

| Last-minute selection and Olympic champion

The sporting career of Abebe Bikila took a significant turn when he was recruited to replace his injured Ethiopian teammate, Wami Biratu, who got hurt during a soccer match. Coming from a modest family of shepherds, he was part of the Ethiopian Imperial Guard when his athletic talent was first discovered. He quickly stood out with promising performances during training sessions. In 1960, it was a surprise to many when he found himself at the start of one of the marquee events: the marathon.

The story takes an even more whimsical turn when, after trying various pairs of shoes before the race, Bikila decides to run barefoot, as he couldn’t find a pair that fit him. Worse, they caused blisters and reduced his performance. The story might have ended there, but there was more. His coach had instructed him to watch out for bib number 26, Rhadi Ben Abdesselam. However, the Moroccan, who was a favorite, ended up wearing bib number 185. Bikila ran a significant part of the race before realizing that Rhadi was trailing him. After a long duel over several kilometers, the Ethiopian pulled ahead with a devastating sprint. Barefoot, he secured the Olympic gold and set the world record with a time of 2h15’16”.

In Rome, Abebe Bikila became the first black African to win an Olympic title. His victory had a symbolic dimension of revenge: he crossed the finish line triumphantly under the Arch of Constantine, a departure point for Mussolini’s fascist troops who had invaded his country twenty-five years earlier. The new Olympic champion became the hero of Ethiopia.

| The barefoot marathon runner

While the Olympic title at the Rome Games catapulted Bikila onto the international stage, his running journey began several years earlier. The Ethiopian runner trained alone before being discovered and receiving structured coaching. Questions arose following a medical examination just before the Rome Olympics. The future Olympic champion of 1960 trained barefoot. His feet had developed thick calluses, and wearing shoes hindered his performance. While his appearance drew mocking laughter just minutes before the start, running barefoot wasn’t a barrier to performance for the emerging star of the sport. He covered several hundred kilometers per season on the roads and trails of Ethiopia, all at high altitude. It was during these training sessions that Onni Niskanen noticed him.

During the Tokyo Olympiad, in 1964, Bikila wore shoes. After 2h12’11” of effort, he broke his own world record and became the first athlete to win two consecutive Olympic titles. The rest of his career would be less euphoric. Following a severe accident, he lost the use of his legs. The double Olympic champion continued marathon in a wheelchair before passing away at the age of 41 due to a brain hemorrhage.