Abebe Bikila Abebe Bikila Abebe Bikila (; August 7, 1932 – October 25, 1973) was an Ethiopian marathon runner. A double Olympic marathon champion, he won the first at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome while running barefoot, setting a world record. He is Africa's first world record breaking athlete in any sport and the first sub-Saharan African Olympic gold medallist. At the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Abebe became the first athlete to successfully defend an Olympic marathon title, breaking his own world record in the process. He was a member of the Ethiopian Imperial Guard, an elite infantry division that
1960 Summer Olympics medal table medals were awarded in each weight class, so the total number of bronze medals is greater than the total number of gold and silver medals. 1960 Summer Olympics medal table The 1960 Summer Olympics medal table is a list of National Olympic Committees ranked by the number of medals won during the 1960 Summer Olympics, held in Rome, Italy from August 25 to September 11, 1960. A total of 5,338 athletes from 83 countries participated in these Games, competing in 150 events in 17 sports. The bronze medal Iraq's Abdul Wahid Aziz won in men's lightweight weightlifting is the only