after reading the article about the man in Addis Ababa whose wife crushed his family jewels, i thought of another Ethiopian man...this one a hero though, not a chump.
his name was Abebe Bikila.
in 1960, at the Summer Olympics (in Rome), this humble, Imperial Guard of the Ethiopian Army, was a surprise winner of the Men's Marathon. he was so unknown that he was the underdog of underdogs...
this race made headlines because this soon-to-be national hero:
won the first Olympic gold medal for Ethiopia
broke the world record with his time of 2 hrs. 16 min. 12 sec.
he ran the entire 26.2 miles...BAREFOOT!
he even repeated the victory at the next Olympics, in Tokyo, Japan...but with shoes! i wonder if they slowed him down ;)
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