(ማስታወቂያ)
Haile Gebrselassie is a retired Ethiopian long-distance track and marathon runner with 27 world records, and 61 Ethiopian national records to his name. He is now a successful businessman and philanthropist. Haile Gebrselassie is considered one of the best athletes in history and is also cited as one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine in 2011. This article will take you through the life of Haile Gebrselassie, from his childhood through his career as an athlete to his current status as a businessman and philanthropist.
Haile Gebrselassie | Childhood On April 18, 1973, Haile Gebrselassie was born in Assela, Arsi province of Ormia region as one of ten children to his mother Ayelech Degtu, and father Gebrselassie Bekele. Because he grew up on a farm ten kilometers from his school, Haile had to run that distance every morning and evening to get an education. This has laid the foundation for his career as a strong athlete, and it's also the reason for his distinctive running posture, in which he keeps his left arm crooked from carrying his school materials. Endurance, a film about Haile's quest to win Olympic gold in the 10,000 meters in Atlanta, was released in 1999, and he played himself in it.
Haile ran his first marathon in Ethiopia at the age of 15 in 2:48 hours. He first gained international attention in 1992, when he won the 5000-meter and 10,000-meter races at the 1992 World Junior Championships in Seoul, South Korea, and a silver medal in the junior race at the World Cross Country Championships in Boston, Massachusetts. Haile won his first world championship in 1993 and went on to win four consecutive world championships in the men's 10,000 meters in 1993, 1995, 1997, and 1999. He also competed in the 5,000-meter race at the 1993 World Championships, finishing second to Kenya's Ismael Kirui. He won a bronze medal at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 1994. Later that year, he set his first world record in the 5,000 meters by running 12:56.96, breaking Saïd Aouita's record by nearly two seconds. In 1995, Haile broke the world record by nine seconds after he ran the 10,000 in 26:43.53 meters in Hengelo, Netherlands.
In the summer of 1995, in Zürich, Switzerland, Haile ran the 5000 meters in 12:44.39, shaving 10.91 seconds off the world record of 12:55.30 set earlier that year by Kenya's Moses Kiptanui. Later that summer he won the 10k world championship by running the last 200 meters in 25 seconds. Track & Field News magazine named this world record at the Weltklasse meet in Zürich "Performance of the Year" for 1995. In 1996, Haile lost the 10,000-meter race at Weltklasse meets in Zürich to Daniel Komen of Kenya. Haile Gebrselassie would avenge this title a year later in 1997. On 13 August 1997, Haile defeated Komen in another Zürich classic, covering the final 200 meters in 26.8 seconds to break Komen's 5000-meter world record of 12:41.86. But only nine days later, Komen broke Haile's record with a 12:39.74 performance in Belgium. In 1998, Haile set new indoor world records for the 2000 and 3000 meters, reclaimed the 5000 and 10,000 meters world records, and won a share of the Golden League jackpot for winning all of his races in the Golden League series that summer.
In June 1998, in Hengelo, Netherlands, Haile broke Kenyan athlete Paul Tergat's world record of 26:27.85 by running evenly paced 13:11/13:11 5K splits. In 1999, he won the World Indoor Track Championships 1500/3,000-meter double, defended his Outdoor World Track Championships 10,000 meters title, and remained undefeated in all of his races ranging from 1500 to 10,000 meters. Haile won all of his races again in 2000, finishing first in the world in both the 5000 and 10,000 meters. He became the third man in history, after Emil Zátopek and Lasse Virén, to successfully defend an Olympic 10,000m title at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Haile Gebrselassie ran his first half marathon on August 26, 2001. Haile also won the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and a bronze medal in the 10,000 meters at the 2001 World Athletics Championships. In 2003, at the World Championships in Paris, Haile ran one of the most remarkable 10,000-meter races in history, finishing second to his compatriot Kenenisa Bekele. Haile aimed to become the first man in history to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the 10,000 meters at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He was unable to do so, but finished fifth in a race won by his compatriot Kenenisa Bekele, who had broken both of Haile's major track world records, the 5000 and 10,000 meters. Haile was unable to train for three weeks prior to the Athens games due to Achilles tendon inflammation. He would not have competed if the injury had been severe enough, but he did so due to significant pressure from his country. After retiring from track and field after the 2004 Olympics, Haile concentrated on road racing and marathons. In 2002, Haile made his debut at the marathon at London Marathon and came third following record holders Khalid Khannouchi and Paul Tergat. Haile went undefeated in all of his road races in 2005. This included a British all-comers' record in the 10K in Manchester, a victory at the Amsterdam Marathon in the world's fastest marathon time for 2006, and a new world best for 10 miles in the Tilburg Ten Miles race in the Netherlands.
In January 15, 2006 Haile Gebrselassie beat the world half marathon record by a massive 21 seconds, recording a time of 58 minutes and 55 seconds; He also broke Paul Tergat's 20 km record on the same race. Both records have been in place since 1998. On the same year Haile broke the 25 km world road record by 68 seconds in a time of 1:11.37. Haile finished ninth in the London Marathon on April 23, 2006, with a time of 2:09:05. Haile described this race saying “The worst race of my career.” However, on September 24, he won the Berlin Marathon in the fastest time of the year, 2:05:56. His time in Berlin made him the fifth man in history to run the marathon in under 2:06 minutes. Following that, he won the Fukuoka Marathon in Japan at 2:06:52. In what organizers hoped would be an exciting race, Haile challenged 2006 London Marathon winner Felix Limo, 2005 London Marathon winner Martin Lel, 2004 Athens gold medalist Stefano Baldini, 2006 New York Marathon winner Marlson Gomes dos Santos, and then marathon world record holder Paul Tergat on April 22, 2007. However, Haile dropped out at the 29-kilometer mark, claiming a stitch and inability to breathe, which turned out to be an allergic reaction to pollen in the air. As a result, Martin Lel, the 2005 winner, finished first.
Haile made a surprise return to the track one month later for the first of two stadium races that summer. In the first, he finished fifth in a highly competitive 10,000-meter race in Hengelo, The Netherlands, with a time of 26:52.81. It was the first time a man over the age of 30 ran the 10,000 m in under 27 minutes. On 27 June 2007, Haile broke the record for the ‘one hour run’, in Ostrava, Czech Republic by passing the one hour mark at 21,285 meters, breaking the previous best of 21,101 meters record, set by Mexican Arturo Barrios in La Flèche, France, on 30 March 1991. Furthermore, Haile ran 20,000 meters in 56:25.98 seconds, breaking the previous world record of 56:55.6 seconds set by Barrios in 1991. These were his 23rd and 24th world records, respectively. On August 5, 2007 Haile won the New York City Half Marathon by breaking the previous course record by two minutes. His victory in the Lisbon Half Marathon (59:15) in March 2008 gave him a perfect 9-0 record in half marathons. In Den Haag, he lost his first half marathon on March 14, 2009. On September 30, 2007, Haile set a world record by winning the Berlin Marathon in 2:04:26, breaking Paul Tergat's record set on the same course in 2003. His victory energized the Ethiopian Millennium (a celebration unique to the Ethiopian calendar). Haile won the 2008 Dubai marathon by a time of 2:04:53, the second-fastest marathon in history. On May 24, at the Hengelo FBK-Games, Haile ran 26:51.20 for 10,000 meters, finishing second to countryman Sileshi Sihine's 26:50.53. Haile decided to withdraw from the marathon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics due to the city's high levels of air pollution. He has asthma and claims that running in such conditions could be harmful to his health. Haile later admitted that he regretted his decision because the air in Beijing was cleaner than he had anticipated. He did, however, run the 10,000 meters on August 17, finishing sixth in 27:06.68. On January 16, 2009, Haile won the Dubai Marathon but fell short of breaking his own world record, which he set four months earlier on the flat course.
He won the Berlin Marathon for the fourth time in September of that year. He attempted to break the world record he set the previous year, but despite a quick start, warm conditions caused him to finish in 2:06:08, more than two minutes behind his best time. In 2010, he attempted to break his world record for the third time in a row at the Dubai Marathon. Despite winning the race in 2:06:09, he failed to break his 18-month world record. In a post-race interview, Haile revealed that he had suffered back pain that demanded intensive pre-race physiotherapy as a result of sleeping in a bad position. Haile announced his retirement on November 7, 2010, after withdrawing from the 2010 New York City Marathon due to an inflamed knee. But days later, he tweeted that he was reconsidering his decision and wanted to compete in the 2012 London Olympics. Haile was injured and missed the 2011 Tokyo Marathon, but he won the half marathon at the Vienna City Marathon on April 17, 2011. Haile won the Great Manchester Run in England for the fourth time a month later, finishing in 28:10. Haile withdrew from the Berlin Marathon on September 26th, citing respiratory difficulties caused by exercise-induced asthma. In the same race, his world records for 30 km and marathon were broken by the man with whom he had been competing, Patrick Makau. He returned to winning ways at the Birmingham half marathon, setting a new course record, and then won the Zevenheuvelenloop in November, his third career victory at the Dutch 15K race. In 2012, Haile competed in the Tokyo Marathon and finished fourth in 2:08:17. He recovered to win the Vienna Half Marathon in 1:00:52, catching Paula Radcliffe, who had a 7:52-minute head start. Haile won the open field of the Vienna City half marathon on 14 April 2013 in 01:01.14. On September 15, 2013, he set his first over-40 world record with a time of 46:59 for 10 miles in Switzerland. On September 15, 2013, he set his first over-40 world record of 46:59 for 10 miles in Switzerland. In the 2013 BUPA Great North Run, he finished third overall, 32 seconds behind winner Kenenisa Bekele and 31 seconds behind reigning Olympic and world champion Mo Farah. Haile announced his retirement from competitive running on Sunday, May 10, 2015, after finishing 16th in the Great Manchester Run. It ends a 25-year career in which he won two Olympic gold medals, eight World Championships, and set 27 world records. On his interview with BBC sport, Haile said “I'm retiring from competitive running, not from running. You cannot stop running, this is my life.” Haile still holds the world record for the 10-mile run.
Haile Gebrselassie began his entrepreneurial career in 1995, investing earnings from his achievements to establish businesses. Until recently, he had 600 employees and offices on a daily basis. Haile Resorts opened on side of Lake Hawassa in 2010 and quickly expanded its destination to Amhara, Oromia, and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region, with an office in Addis Abeba.
Haile also owns a Hyundai dealership in Ethiopia. Haile was the owner of Marathon Motors, a vehicle company that also assembles Hyundai vehicles and recently rolled off the first electric vehicle from its assembly plant. Haile owns four hotels and a coffee plantation, as well as several businesses and real estate projects. In 2015, Haile had an estimated 1,000 employees, which had grown to 3,000 across his investments in Ethiopia and elsewhere. Haile earns 30 million birrs from various businesses.
Haile Gebrselassie founded and won the first Great Ethiopian Race, Africa's largest annual public marathon, in 2001. Every year, Haile is at the heart of the action, greeting and meeting many international participants, hosting a slew of famous international athletes, and awarding prizes.
Haile Gebrselassie was elected president of the Ethiopian Athletics Federation in November 2016. Derartu Tulu, a double Olympic champion, took over as president of the EAF on November 14, 2018. Haile has also participated in and provided humanitarian aid whenever and wherever his country needed him. Haile Gebrsilassie’s estimated net worth is $5 million.
• On April 22, 2005, in Dublin, Ethiopian Olympic legend Haile Gebrselassie was awarded an honorary doctorate by the National University of Ireland. In recognition of his sporting accomplishments as well as his charitable and development work in Africa, he was awarded a Doctor of Laws (DLL). • At the conclusion of the 16th CAA African Athletics Championships in Addis Abeba, the United Kingdom's Leeds Metropolitan University bestowed an honorary doctorate degree on Haile Gebresselase. He was awarded a degree in sport science in front of tens of thousands of his fans at the Addis Ababa stadium. • In 2011, New African magazine named Haile one of the Top 100 Most Influential Africans.
• Mother - Ayelech Degtu • Father – Gebrselassie Bekele • Brothers - Assefa Gebrselassie, Tekeye Gebrselassie (Long distance runner) • Wife – Alem Tellahun • Children – Eden Haile (24), Melat Haile (22), and Beti Haile (20).
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