abebe bikila didn't train as a runner until he turned 24. born in 1932 in mendida, ethiopia, bikila was raised by his father, a shepherd. when bikila grew old enough to help support his family, he joined the imperial body guard. the training was rigorous, and 1 had included twenty mile runs barefoot over rocky terrain. while performing one of these painful runs through the hills, 2 one of his teachers took note of his incredible natural racing ability. before long, the teacher, onni niskanen, was coaching bikila for marathons.

although bikila won his first race and the 3 ensuing national fame in ethiopia in 1960, the world didn't take notice yet. niskanen was certain that bikila was one of the best runners in the world, so he 4 enrolled bikila as ethiopia's marathon runner in the rome olympics that year, just months after his first formal race. his sponsor was adidas, a shoe company. however, 5 because of the fact that adidas failed to provide shoes in his size, bikila decided to run without them when the day of the race arrived.

at any olympic event, the viewers and trainers have a good guess about which three or four people stand the best chance of winning. bikila - 6 unknown, largely untrained, barefoot - was overshadowed by athletes who had been preparing 7 his or her whole life.

the race began, and the runners lit off through the streets of rome. after a few miles, four men had taken a solid lead over the rest of the runners. among them was bikila, running tirelessly beside the best runners in the world. 8 he reached the finish line 25 seconds before the next closest runner. 9 bikila was the first african to win an olympic medal for long-distance running. with this victory, bikila also broke the world record for marathon completion time.

after his success in rome, bikila won a second race weeks later and many more in the coming years. experts described bikila's running as the perfect example of marathon 10 technique. upright posture, effortless gait, and even strides. bikila competed in more olympic games over the next decade, until he experienced a car accident that left him unable to use his legs. despite the loss 11 done to his ability to run, bikila remained positive. he continued to compete in the olympics until his death, though he changed his sport to archery.