Abebe Bikila.

Abebe Bikila. Abebe Bikila (1932-1973), Ethiopian track-and-field athlete, who won two Olympic gold medals in the marathon. Bikila was born in Mout province. Before competing as a runner he was a member of the imperial bodyguard of Haile Selassie I, the Ethiopian emperor. The marathon at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Italy, was only Bikila's third race at this distance, but he set a new world best time of 2 hours 15 minutes 16.2 seconds and also attracted attention by running the race barefoot. (The designation world best is used instead of record because marathon courses differ greatly and comparisons of finish times is difficult.) At the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, Bikila, no longer competing barefoot, became the first runner to win the Olympic marathon twice, finishing with a new world best time of 2 hours 12 minutes 11.2 seconds (his previous mark had been broken several times between the Olympics). Bikila competed in the marathon at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, but he dropped out of the race after about 16 km (about 10 mi) because of injury. During his career Bikila won 12 of the 15 marathons he entered, an outstanding accomplishment. In 1969 an automobile accident left him paralyzed below the waist, and he died of a brain hemorrhage four years later. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.