Pause, rewind, play: When Abebe Bikila created marathon history at Rome Olympics with a barefoot run

There is something fitting about a warrior-like performance in a city like Rome. Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila will forever be remembered for his feat of running a marathon across the grand old city, and clinching the 1960 Olympic Games gold medal. And he did so, famously, barefoot.

Bikila, who was a member of the Imperial Bodyguard, was actually a last-minute addition to the Ethiopian team. An injury to Wami Biratu, while playing in a football match, led to Bikila’s call-up. And of course, he was not considered to be among the favourites for the event, what with the current world record holder Sergey Popov in the field.

According to the Guardian, “Bikila’s unofficial personal best for the 42.2km – better than the world record – was widely dismissed as impossible. He arrived in Rome with one pair of running shoes but they were ruined in training in the month before the Games. With his new ones causing blisters, his decision to compete barefoot, feet toughened by miles of shoeless training on the high Ethiopian plains, only added to the general derision.”

The run began in the evening to counter the heat in Rome and went on till darkness set in. Bikila made his…

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