Abebe Bikila stared at the athletes from his own country, who were competing in the Olympic Games. The name Ethiopia (埃塞俄比亚) was written across the back of each athlete's uniform (衣服). As Abebe Bikila watched, he made up his mind to become one of those athletes.
In 1932, Abebe Bikila was born in a poor family in a small town near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As a child, he always ran to school a few kilometres away from his home. After leaving school, Abebe Bikila went into the army. He was later found to be excellent as a marathon (马拉松赛跑) runner. In 1960, he was on his way to Rome as a member of the Ethiopian Olympic team.
In Rome, Abebe Bikila succeeded in completing things that no runner had ever achieved before. When he won the Olympic marathon, he became the first black African to win a gold medal. And he set a new world record. Another thing that made people surprised was that he ran the race in his bare (赤祼的) feet. When asked why he ran barefoot, Abebe Bikila said, "I wanted the world to know that my country Ethiopia has always won with determination and heroism."
By 1964, Abebe Bikila had become wellknown as a barefoot runner. In the same year, he headed for the Tokyo Olympics. But six weeks before his big race, Abebe Bikila suffered an attack of appendicitis (阑尾炎). When he arrived in Japan, he was still recovering from the operation to remove his appendix. But Abebe Bikila ran the marathon — this time wearing shoes — and won it! He beat his own record in 1960 by more than four minutes. That made him the first runner to continuously win two Olympic marathons.
In 1968, a car accident left the great runner unable to walk for ever. Abebe Bikila died in 1973. A huge crowd, including the then ruler of Ethiopia, Atse Haile Selassie, gathered as he was laid to rest. Abebe Bikila will always be remembered for his great ability, love of country, and true Olympic spirit. In the heart of all sports fans, Abebe Bikila remains an excellent Olympic athlete.
