Abebe Bikila....how good was he really?

He won Olympic marathon running bare footed. I rate him higher than Shorter. Maybe best of all time--nondrug user I mean. I won't get into that. I will need to read more about him--be right back . . .

In any debate about the greatest marathon runner of all time, few would argue that anyone other than Abebe Bikila should be accorded that honour. Although Bikila arrived at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome both unheralded and virtually unknown, what Abebe and his coach Onni Niskansen knew, but of which most of the world was unaware, was that Bikila, in only his second marathon, had recorded a time of 2hr 21min 23sec at the altitude of Addis Ababa only one month prior to Rome.

In the marathon at Rome, Bikila and Moroccan Rhadi ben Abdesellem, who was making his debut at the distance, stayed with a pack of more experienced runners in the early stages, but by 20km, the pair had opened up a lead of 26 seconds. The pair continued to increase their lead, staying together, until with 500 metres remaining, Bikila sprinted clear of Rhadi to win in a world's best time of 2hr 15min 16.2sec.

Bikila became an instant celebrity after that, but although he received many invitations to races, he only contested five marathons between Rome and the following Olympic Games in Tokyo, winning four of them. Bikila had undergone an appendectomy only 40 days prior to the marathon in Tokyo on 21 October, but he showed no ill effects from it, as he, Ron Clarke (Australia), and Jim Hogan (Ireland) led the field past 15km. Bikila broke free from the other two just before the 20km mark, and then proceeded to run away from the field in a great solo effort, winning (see photo above) by over 4 minutes in a new world's best of 2hr 12min 11.2sec to become the first athlete to win two Olympic marathons.

Bikila returned for his third Olympic marathon at Mexico City in 1968, but retired after 17km. (Ron Casey)

What drugs? Waldemar Cierpinski was a great runner, 2:09:55, without any positive tests for drugs. When will you guys look at it as the evolution of the sports world? Drugs work, take them within reason, do it. You have nothing to lose in trying to win. Assume everyone is on drugs then there's no excuse to whine about it. If you want to be in the dark & be loser then go for it. The Amateur days are over, get on the program.

You have a good point lasse viren--thanks for not getting me mad this time to say it. I wish that Webb would get on drugs and kick El G's ass--and Krumm.

Cat where do you reside?

lasse viren wrote:

What drugs? Waldemar Cierpinski was a great runner, 2:09:55, without any positive tests for drugs.

Cierpinski has public acknowledged taking performance enhancing drugs in 1976

Did he come out with a news brief, sound bite or some other means of news worthy communication? He passed every test at that time for whatever, who cares,,,,,,,come on. Drugs are part of the sport please get with the program, stop playing with the 7th graders, your in HSchool now dud, I mean duh.

Consider Bikila as the start of the modern era. Prior to Rome, not much real change in training or overall event progression from the ?30s on. After he inspired everybody else, the floodgates opened as people started kicking it all up to a different level (see Edelen, etc.).

He led. Others followed.

How old are you and what is your gender. I can see f***ing cops trying to set me up--don't try it.