A few of the other runners sniggered when they saw Abebe Bikila turn up at the start of the Olympic marathon with no shoes. As a television camera scanned the scrum of athletes readying themselves for the starter's gun, a commentator asked: "And what's this Ethiopian called?"
It was 1960, Rome. Africa was just shrugging off the weight of colonial rule and some sporting officials still doubted Africans were ready for the big time. A little over 2 hr. 15 min. later that myth lay shattered by the slight man wearing number 11, a member of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie's Imperial Guard and a proud African whose gliding, barefoot run through Rome's cobblestone streets announced his continent's emergence as a running powerhouse.
Bikila's triumph was all the more stunning because it happened in the capital of Ethiopia's former military occupier. Legend has it that he made his decisive move in the race just as he passed the Axum Obelisk, a towering stela that Mussolini had brought back from Ethiopia as war loot.
Four years later in Tokyo, Bikila won gold again, the first man to defend Olympic marathon title. This time he wore shoes. (times mag online)
Mia aka Abebe Mikila is no Abebe Bikila, but she is ready to run the Rome Marathon tomorrow!!! and yes, she will be wearing shoes! :))
No comments:
Post a Comment