In 1960, at the Rome Olympics, a barefoot Ethiopian soldier named Abebe Bikila ran 42 kilometres through the cobbled streets of Rome and won gold in the marathon — shattering the world record. He was the first Black African to win an Olympic gold medal. Ethiopia’s long-distance dynasty had begun.
The Town of Champions: Bekoji
The small highland town of Bekoji, sitting at 2,700 metres altitude in the Arsi Zone, has produced a disproportionate number of the world’s greatest distance runners. Tirunesh Dibaba. Derartu Tulu. Kenenisa Bekele. Fatuma Roba. Something in Bekoji produces champions — and that something is training at high altitude from childhood, running to school every day, eating traditional grain-based food, and a culture of collective discipline.
The small highland town of Bekoji, sitting at 2,700 metres altitude in the Arsi Zone, has produced a disproportionate number of the world’s greatest distance runners. Tirunesh Dibaba. Derartu Tulu. Kenenisa Bekele. Fatuma Roba. Something in Bekoji produces champions — and that something is training at high altitude from childhood, running to school every day, eating traditional grain-based food, and a culture of collective discipline.
