Abebe Bikila
In 1969, during civil unrest in Addis, Bikila was driving his Volkswagen Beetle when he had to swerve to avoid a group of protesting students. He lost control of his car and it landed in a ditch, trapping him. He was freed out of the car but the accident left him quadriplegic. He was operated on at the Stoke Mandeville hospital in England and his condition improved to paraplegic. Niskanen convinced him to compete in paraplegic archery competitions and Abebe joked that he would win the next Olympic marathon in a wheelchair.
Abebe was invited as a special guest to the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich where he witnessed his countryman Mamo Wolde fail to match Bikila's twin marathon victories; Wolde finished third behind American Frank Shorter. After Shorter received his medal he went to Bikila to shake his hand.
In October 1973 Bikila died in Addis Ababa at age 41 from cerebral hemorrhage, a complication related to the accident four years earlier. He left behind his wife and four children. His funeral in Addis Ababa was attended by 65,000 and emperor Haile Selassie proclaimed a national day of mourning for Ethiopia’s national hero. A stadium in Addis Ababa was named in his honour. In August of 2005, with the assistance of A Glimmer of Hope Foundation and its supporters Isabel and Dave Welland, an Oromo school named Yaya Abebe Bikila Primary Village School was erected in Bikila's honor by the local Mendida community; the school exists a few hundred yards from the remains of the village of Jato.
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References
- ^ http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=BIKILABE01 DatabaseOlympics profile
- ^ The Olympic Marathon by Martin and Gynn, ISBN 0880119691
- ^ Barefoot Runner by Rambali, ISBN 1852429046
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| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
Preceded by Sergey Popov |
Men's Marathon World Record Holder September 10, 1960 – February 17, 1963 |
Succeeded by Toru Terasawa |
Preceded by Basil Heatley |
Men's Marathon World Record Holder October 21, 1964 – June 12, 1965 |
Succeeded by Morio Shigematsu |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by Sergey Popov |
Men's Fastest Marathon Race 1960 |
Succeeded by Takayuki Nakao |
| Preceded by Samuel Hardicker |
Košice Men's Marathon Winner 1961 |
Succeeded by Pavel Kantorek |
Preceded by Leonard Edelen |
Men's Fastest Marathon Race 1964 |
Succeeded by Morio Shigematsu |
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