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Abebe Bikila
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Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia runs barefoot past cheering spectators during the marathon at the 1960 Rome Olympics, wearing bib number 11 and leading the race.
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Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia runs barefoot past cheering spectators during the marathon at the 1960 Rome Olympics, wearing bib number 11 and leading the race.
Marathon runner Abebe Bikila Abebe Bikila running barefoot to a record-setting victory at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

Abebe Bikila

Ethiopian athlete
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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•History

Abebe Bikila (born August 7, 1932, Jato, Ethiopia—died October 25, 1973, Addis Ababa) was a marathon runner from Ethiopia who won a gold medal and set a world record while running barefoot at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. He then bested his own record at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Bikila was the first athlete to win two Olympic marathons, and he was the first athlete to win an Olympic gold medal for Ethiopia....

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