Golden-Past,-Troubled-Present

Golden Past, Troubled Present

Ethiopia’s Athletic Legacy at Stake

Ethiopia’s Olympic history is a tapestry woven with threads of triumph and adversity. From the legendary barefoot run of Abebe Bikila to the iconic unity displayed by Derartu Tulu and South African Elana Meyer in 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the nation has produced some of the greatest athletes of all time. However, the recent shadow of controversy has influenced the once-golden era. Internal strife, athlete dissatisfaction, and leadership disputes jeopardise Ethiopia’s Olympic dream.

This in-depth analysis By EBR’s Brook Genene delves into the heart of Ethiopian athletics, exploring the factors that have contributed to its past glories and the challenges that threaten its future. From the inspiring stories of Olympic champions to the current turmoil within the Ethiopian Olympic Committee and Athletics Federation, this article comprehensively looks at a nation grappling with its sporting identity.

Starting from Abebe Bikila’s Marathon victory in barefoot Rome in 1960, Ethiopia has a fantastic record at the Olympics. However, recent tournaments, especially Tokyo 2020, have been known more for controversy than victory. Ethiopia only managed to get a single gold medal at the sporting event. Moreover, the constant disagreement between the Ethiopian National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the Ethiopian Athletics Federation (EAF) made headlines.

Recently, there has been continuous news of dissatisfaction from athletes who weren’t selected for some tournaments. Frewoini Hailu and Yomif Kejelcha were at the forefront of this. Reports have also been about coaches clashing and creating a rift between athletes.

As Ethiopians expect to make history in Paris, we examine the most memorable moments in the Olympics and what the current athletes can learn from them. In 1960, Abebe Bikila became the first black African to win a Gold medal in the Olympics. He did that by running a marathon on the streets of Rome, Italy. What made his victory even more resounding was that he achieved it running barefoot.

Abebe had trained in Ethiopia both with and without shoes. However, his shoes fell apart during his last days of preparation before the Olympics. He went to a local shoe store to get new ones, but after seeing the shoes that gave him swellings, he ran barefoot.

He won by a victory margin of more than four minutes despite having undergone an appendectomy just 40 days earlier. This victory was momentous because such a wide margin had never been registered.  Later, Miruts Yifter became the first Ethiopian to win double Gold in 5000 and 10,000 metres in the Mosco Olympics in 1980. He remained the only one until Tirunesh Dibaba and Kenenisa Bekele achieved a similar victory in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Derartu Tulu, currently EAF president, became the first woman from sub-Saharan Africa to win an Olympic Gold. She became a role model for many female athletes on the continent. Her fantastic achievement, however, didn’t stop there. Her celebration lap with the South African Elana Meyer, who came second, was much more memorable. Derartu and Elana Meyer, a white South African athlete, weren’t the favourites in the race, graced by World Champion Liz McColgan of Great Britain. However, the final lap surprised everyone, with Derartu and Meyer going on to take the Gold and Silver. Their joint celebration on the victory lap symbolised an enduring hope for a new rising Africa.

Following the end of apartheid in 1992, South Africa was reinstated to the Olympics just three months before the games. The celebration between Derartu and Elana symbolised continental unity and hope. “Nelson Mandela said that sport has the power to change the world, and one could really see what that meant. It has the power to influence people,” said Elana.

Later, in 1996, a new star that followed the footsteps of Miruts Yifter, Haile Gebreselassie, was in his early years when he made records after records showed up for Gold in 10,000 metres, was a new face coming to the front in the female marathon. It was one of athletics’ most iconic sports videos, showing Fatuma Roba dropping to her knees and kissing the track after winning the marathon in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. With this triumph, Fatuma became the first African woman to win the Olympic marathon since it became a sanctioned event for women in 1984. She followed in the footsteps of Abebe Bikila, the winner in 1960 and 1964, and Mamo Wolde, who also won Gold in the 1968 Olympic games.

“This is not only a special thing for me but also for my country and all African women,” Fatuma said after her victory. She added, “The Ethiopian women are coming up in the marathon. This was the breakthrough. Now we are ready to challenge the rest of the world.”

Another blistering moment at the Olympics was 2000 when Haile Gebreselassie, the defending champion, and Kenyan athletic rival Paul Tergat raced for a neck-to-neck finish. “I have never competed in a race with a finish like that, except maybe in short distance race like 1,500 metres,” Haile Gebrselassie reflected after winning the 10,000 meters race in the Sydney Olympics. This tournament was the most successful for Ethiopia, winning four gold medals and eight in total. However, Haile’s ability to beat Kenyan athlete Paul Tergat was the most notable victory. The two runners raced neck-to-neck to the finish line, and Haile sneaked his head to victory.

“I was never sure I had won,” said Tergat after the race. “But I thought I might have it this time. Unfortunately, I was supposed to start sprinting with 300 to go, but I could not pass. I did my best. I can do no better than that. I had nothing left at the end.”

Before the tournament, Haile had pain in his Achilles tendon. He doubted that he would take part in the 10,000-meter race. However, new shoes and constant treatment made it possible. He then managed to achieve a monumental victory.

The Athens Olympics in 2004 was also very memorable as teamwork proved to be a winning strategy. While Kenensia Bekelle, Sileshi Sihen, and Haile Gebresillase ran to repeat their sweep from a year ago at Paris World Champion, they faced a challenge in Athens. Haile couldn’t keep up with the pace with the leading pack and dropped behind. The situation made Kenenisa and Sileshi slow down the pace and start looking backwards to see if Haile could indeed catch up. Their unity was there for the entire world to see. Kenenisa and Silshi continued to speed up as the legend couldn’t catch up. The duos then won Gold and Silver, while Haile finished fifth. This fantastic unity prompted famous Ethiopian Artist Tewodros Kassahun (Teddy Afro) to release a song praising their heroic and indomitable team spirit. The song “Kenenisa Anbessa” is a renowned Ethiopian song celebrating the legendary achievements of Kenenisa Bekele. It’s a testament to his impact on the nation and the pride he inspired through his athletic prowess. The song still reverberates in the minds of millions.

Over the years, Ethiopian athletes have achieved incredible success on the Olympic stage. Miruts, Kenenisa, and Tirunesh won double Gold in the Olympics. Gezahegn Abera (Sydney 2000), Tiki Gelana’s winning of Marathon Gold (London 2012), and Almaz Ayana’s winning in the 10,000 meters in Rio 2016 are outstanding achievements that history remembers. Meseret Defar remains a two-time Olympic Gold medalist in the 5,000 meters, winning in the 2004 Athens and 2012 London Olympics. She also won Silver in 2008.

Despite Ethiopia’s fantastic achievement in all these tournaments, the focus has changed. Controversy looms large in the arena as the Paris 2024 Olympics kicks off on July 25 in an extravagant opening ceremony, which has caused fury worldwide because of an apparent depiction of the Last Supper featuring drag performers.

Multiple reports have been made about disagreements on athlete selection and even fighting among athletes and coaches over group exercise and other disciplinary. In a new trend, many athletes refuse to stay in a hotel and attend group exercises, making team-building efforts futile. The old good days when coaches were feared and disciplined athletes listened to their coach’s advice and tactics have been replaced with new ones where athletes have personal trainers who disagree with the national coaches on several technical issues.

Frewoini Hailu, a middle-distance runner who won Gold at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships over 1500 metres, expressed her disappointment about not being selected as a confirmed candidate for the Paris Olympics 5000-metre race. She pleaded with the Ethiopian public about it. Frewoini was supposed to be among the confirmed participants in the 5000-meter race but was later made a reserve. After her complaint, she was given another reserve role in the 1500 meter, which meant that Hirut Meshesha, who had a better time, was later excluded from the list.

Yomif Kejelcha is another distance runner who won a silver medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2019 World Athletics Championships and gold medals for the 3000 metres at the 2016 and 2018 World Indoor Championships. He is the world indoor record holder for one mile with a time of 3:47.01, set on March 3 2019, in Boston, and Tilahun Haile, a long-distance runner specialising in the 5000 metres. His career has included victories at the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea and the Bislett Games. He was fourth in the 5000m at the 2019 World Championships, and other athletes were dissatisfied with the selections. Yomif told Bisrat TV he had to endure this pressure throughout his career. He was initially set to represent Ethiopia in the 5000 meters. Still, he was later replaced by Biniam Mehary, who smashed the world under – 20 10,000 metre records at the Ethiopian Trials in Nerja, Spain, on July 15, clocking a time of 26:37.93 to register the new record for the under-20 category.

The other controversy-causing issue is the unauthorised election at the NOC. Dr Ashebir Woldegiorgis was elected for a third term ahead of the Paris Olympics in a secret ballot when the election was supposed to occur after the Olympics. The Federation’s Article of Association doesn’t allow a president to run for a third term, which is now the case for Dr. Ashebir.

Haile Gebresilasse voiced his concern and objection to the illegal election. “What just happened at the NOC election is unacceptable and shows the level of unaccountability the President and his allies are exercising,” he told AIPS, The International Sports Press Association, or AIPS (abbreviated from its French name, Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive).

“We have 10 months remaining in our current term and there is no need to rush things for election. The focus should now be for the Paris Olympics. The election should follow after we evaluate our performance at the Olympics, after we conduct the performance and financial audit and set up a clear and transparent election procedure,” he added.  While EAF President Derartu Tulu seems to agree with Dr Ashebir, the Federation’s vice president, Gezahegn Abera, doesn’t. “The Athletics Federation, as an institution, does not recognise the current election as legal and, currently, the relationship between the two organisations is not formal and institutional,” argued Gezahegne in an interview with a local radio station. “Instead, decisions are made only through personal communication with the President of EAF,” he further laments. Such disagreements in the leadership previously caused a hostile atmosphere, which decreased the performance of athletes in the Olympics. Such was the situation in the Tokyo 2021 Games, which Ethiopia completed with only one Gold medal: Selemon Barega’s victory in the men’s 10,000 meters and another Silver medal with Lamecha Girma in the 3,000-meter steeplechase while neighbouring rival Kenya collected four Golds, Four Silvers, and Two Bronzes to become the continent’s top performer in the Game.

Indeed, the athletics community needs to prioritise Ethiopia over personal struggles and trivial internal conflicts. Historical achievements, where stakeholders worked with a strong sense of unity and team spirit, offer much to learn. Patriotism drove Abebe Bikila to greatness, and that’s what the current athletes and leaders at the EAF and NOC need to remember. EBR


12th Year • Aug 2024 • No. 132

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