Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassieis a retired Ethiopian long-distance track and road running athlete. He won two Olympic gold medals over 10,000 metres and four World Championship titles in the event. He won the Berlin Marathon four times consecutively and also had three straight wins at the Dubai Marathon. Further to this, he won four world titles indoors and was the 2001 World Half Marathon Champion...
ProfessionRunner
Date of Birth18 April 1973
CityAsella, Ethiopia
sports fun father
My father thought sport was something fun - he didn't know it was a way to make money. Then I won a Mercedes at the world championships and I gave it to him. From the moment it arrived my father said: 'Good, you can support not just yourself but me too'.
soccer country winning
You know the marathon in my country is just exceptional. It's like soccer in England. If England win the world cup and Ethiopia win the marathon - it's the same.
running country athlete
Since I achieved something, running has exploded in my country. For me sometimes it is difficult even to know who the athletes are who are competing at the highest level. There are thousands.
marathon things-change runners
I have to change a lot of things before I become a good marathon runner.
new-york looks building
I wanted to experience New York, to look up and see buildings.
firsts runners
I'm a runner first before anything else.
body fixed wounded
If your body is damaged, wounded, it can be fixed, but if inside, mentally, you are wounded you cannot fix it, it's hard.
speed stamina loses
You lose the speed before the stamina.
important schooling
Schooling is so important.
children boys sheep
I was the kind of child who worked hard every day with the cows and sheep - I was a very aggressive boy.
book thinking hands
This hand is not very active always, because it was in this hand that I carried my books. My carrying hand was always my strongest. Now I think my other hand has developed more muscles from signing all those autographs.
stars race pace
Considering that the race is star-studded no runner will be willing to set the pace for the others. This is why a record will be almost impossible.
running school perfect
I used to run to school, 10k every day. And this at altitude, perfect preparation, really.
thinking firsts records
I think if you come first with a new world record, that is the best.