Abebe Bikila’s barefoot Rome triumph reshaped Olympic distance running
Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila won the Olympic marathon barefoot in Rome, setting a world record and becoming the first Black African to win Olympic gold, according to Deseret News archives.
On 10 September 1960, Abebe Bikila won the Olympic marathon in Rome barefoot, delivering one of the defining victories in the history of distance running.
The Ethiopian runner had reportedly been added to the team after Wami Biratu was injured. When the available shoes did not fit properly, Bikila rejected them and ran barefoot, as he had in training.
According to the Deseret News archives account, Bikila pulled away from Morocco’s Rhadi Ben Abdesselami on the final lap and won by 25 seconds. The victory set a world record and made Bikila, in the source’s wording, the first Black African to win Olympic gold.
The race began in the late afternoon and finished in darkness, with the marathon not entering the Olympic stadium for its conclusion. Bikila’s performance helped usher in an era of successful African distance runners.
He retained the Olympic marathon title at the 1964 Games, this time running in shoes. Bikila was paralysed in a 1969 car accident and died in 1973, aged 41.
