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- About
Ethiopian Athletics
- By Mamo Gebrehiwot
- The
Founder
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- Ethiopia has
a long and rich tradition in athletics in Africa, producing several
world class athletes, who won numerous medals at the Olympics
and World Championships. The world first took notice of the country's
great potential during the 1960 Rome Olympic Games, when
an unknown runner by the name of Abebe Bikila won barefoot the gold medal in the men's
marathon race. Bikila not only shattered the previous record,
but he also became the first African athlete to win a gold medal
at the Olympics.
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- Four years later
in Tokyo, Abebe won his second gold medal in the marathon, to
become the first athlete to win back-to-back gold medals in the
marathon, just two weeks after he had an operation.
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- At the 1968
Mexico Olympics, Bikila, who was favored to win his third
consecutive medal, had to drop out of the race after 10 miles
with a fractured bone in his left leg, but his fellow compatriot
Mamo Wolde, picked up where his
teammate left off, to win Ethiopia's third gold medal in the
marathon.
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- If Abebe
Bikila and Mamo Wolde dominated the 60s and helped
established the country's name as a power house in the middle
and long distance runs, the 70s and 80s saw a vibrant Miruts "The Shifter"
Yifter,
who went on to win gold medals in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters
at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The 90s witnessed the emergence
of Haile
Gebreselassie,
the multi-talented and gifted athlete, who shattered the world's
5,000 and 10,000 meters records in the same year and also won
a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
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- The last few
years have also seen a tremendous surge in women athletes' participation
mainly due to the successes of Derartu Tulu, winner of the 10,000 meters run at
the 92 Barcelona Games, Fatuma Roba, who became the first African women to win a gold
medal in the marathon at the 96 Atlanta Games and Gete Wami, who won silver in the
10,000 meters run in Atlanta.
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- Growth Potential
- Despite its
lack of trained manpower and adequate training facilities, Ethiopia
continues to produce top notch athletes. With a total population
of around 60 million people, it is the third most populous (after
Nigeria & Egypt) nation in Africa, and with 46% (approximately
28 million) of its population under the age of 14, the country
has plenty of reserves to chose from.
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- The Ethiopian
Athletics Federation (EAF), which receives meager annual subsidies
from the government, has also shifted its attention towards the
younger athletes. As a result, more and more of the country's
top youth athletes have began to take part in various international
youth competitions, which will surely expand their horizons and
potential.
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- Here at ETHIOSPORTS,
we will:
- Keep you informed
of what's going on in Ethiopian Athletics with fresh news and
information
- Post results
of both domestic and international competitions that our athletes
take part in
- Devote a special
page for our country's great athletes of both past and present
- Introduce you
to the new stars via profile or personal interviews
- Provide you
with a forum where you can voice & share your views and opinions
- Explore marketing
potential for potential sponsors and investors, and much more.
- We hope that
you like what we do, and if you have any question, advice or
suggestions, please feel free to contact us via e-mail at: athletics@ethiosports.com
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