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
father remember beats
He was not a runner, my father, but he was quick. I always remember it was very difficult to escape from him when he was angry. If he wanted to beat us he would always catch us. Even me, he could always catch me.
pain marathon problem
The marathon always starts after 30K. That's where the problems start. You start without any problems, without any pain. All the pain comes after 30K. Sometimes, it's possible to have pain even in the finger.
running school bridges
In the rainy season, sometimes to get to the first lesson we had to run really quick, because we had to cross the river to school and we'd have to go up and down the bank to find a place to cross because there is no bridge.
years four three
Why should I say I will retire in three or four years? You retire the very moment you utter those words.
birthday numbers age
Age for me is just a number.
running
I love running and I will always run.
brain officials
Like some high official, you have to tell your brain: 'Do it. Come on. I have to do it.'
morning giving effort
When I wake up at 5 in the morning is it just to jog? Definitely not, I give it all of my efforts.
fitness feel-good firsts
I will always listen to my coaches. But first I listen to my body. If what they tell me suits my body, great. If my body doesn't feel good with what they say, then always my body comes first.
sports commitment hard-work
You need three things to win: discipline, hard work and, before everything maybe, commitment. No one will make it without those three. Sport teaches you that.
running real kids
I'm lucky. The best possible place in the world for training is Addis Ababa, so I am home all the time except when I am racing. I like to be there, near my family, my kids, also the real estate business I run with my wife.
running school rivers
My school was six miles away from where I lived on the farm. I had to walk and run, there and back every day, through gorges and over rivers. If I was late, there was a very big stick waiting for me.
planning making-money broke
If you're planning only to make money and nothing else, you'll be broke.
winning want marathon
I know what I want when I start a marathon: to win! But what do you want? Make sure you're clear in advance and don't go out too fast.