Abebe Bikila: Once a champion always a champion
Abebe Bikila is the first black African who won an Olympic gold medal. Abebe was also the first athlete in the world to win consecutive Olympic marathons in 1960 and 1964. (In Eritrea and Ethiopia, we call a person by his/her given name; thus, I use Abebe in this article instead of Bikila.)
The world better knows Abebe as the winner of the 1960 Olympic marathon and set the world record time while running barefoot. He entered that race being unknown to the world, and no one expected him to win the race let alone to set the then world record. Interestingly, Abebe was actually called to the Ethiopian Olympic team when the plane was leaving for Rome — where the 1960 Olympic Games was hosted. He was called as a last-minute replacement to Wami Biratu, who had broken his leg while playing football.
Abebe broke his own record by three minutes and 5 seconds four years later at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964. He set the record while he was recovering from an appendectomy that he had a few days before the race.
Growing up a shepherd, Abebe has inspired generations of world athletes. In particular, he had successfully established the Horn and East Africa as the world’s powerhouse in long-distance running.
What the world knows little about Abebe is his winning mentality. Abebe was not only a champion in marathon races but in almost everything that he put his hands or legs on.
Before a career in athletics, Abebe was a member of elite soldiers that guarded Emperor Haileslasie. Breaking into the elite bodyguards at the emperor’s palace by itself was not an easy achievement, particularly for someone who was from remote rural areas and a shepherd. Nevertheless, Abebe Bikila made it through his commitment and hard work. At the Hieleslasie’s palace, Abebe rose to the rank of shambel (captain) in a short time.
Moreover, the athletism he showed during his military training led him to participate in local running events, which opened a gate to become one of the world’s most celebrated marathon runners.
At the age of 37, Abebe had a car accident, which left him paralyzed his lower body. He never walked again. For a person who loves running, this should be the end of the world. Right?
Nope, not for Shambel Abebe.
When he learned that he had lost his lower body mobility, Abebe immediately started to think about making his life meaningful using just his upper body. And he did successfully.
He showed the world that once a champion continues to be a champion. In 1970, while recovering from his automobile accident injuries in England, Abebe competed in archery and table tennis at the Stoke Mandeville Games in London, the Paralympic Games’ predecessor.
In 1971, Abebe competed in a disabled competition in Norway and participated in three events: archery, table tennis, and cross-country sleight-riding. He won the last event, while he had never practiced sleigh-riding in his home country.
Abebe, the shepherd, the captain, the marathoner, the archer, the table tennis player, and the cross-country sleight-rider died at the young age of 41 because of complications resulted from the car accident. As Loa Tzu said that “The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long,” Abebe’s short but very successful life will continue inspiring for generations to come.
Shambel Abebe Bikila showed us that the things that seem impossible are those that are not tried.
Image and other sources: Internet archives!
