[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Haile Gebrselassie was born on April 18, 1973, in Asella, Arsi Province, Ethiopia. He is a celebrated Olympic and world champion, having secured two Olympic gold medals in the 10,000 meters and four world championships at the same distance. Throughout his illustrious career, he claimed major titles across all distances, from 1,500 meters to the marathon, and shattered 27 world records, earning him a reputation as one of the greatest distance runners of all time. Growing up as one of ten children on a farm in Arsi Province, Haile would run barefoot for 10 kilometers to school each day while carrying his books. He recalled that his first competitive race was a 1,500-meter event at school, where he surprised everyone by winning despite being younger than his opponents. This experience ignited his passion for running, inspired in part by his idol, fellow Ethiopian Abebe Bikila, who won Olympic gold in 1960. Haile's international breakthrough came in 1992 when he clinched the Junior world titles in both the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. The following year marked his entry into senior competition, where he won his first world championship title in the 10,000 meters in Stuttgart. He continued his dominance by securing four consecutive world titles at this distance from 1993 to 1999. In 1995, Haile further established his prowess by breaking the world records for both the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. His first Olympic triumph occurred in Atlanta in 1996 when he won gold in the 10,000 meters. He later appeared as himself in the film "Endurance," which chronicled the quest for the 10,000-meter title. In 2000, Haile became only the third man—after Emil Zátopek and Lasse Virén—to defend his 10,000-meter title successfully, narrowly defeating the legendary Paul Tergat with a spectacular finish. He regarded this race and his 5,000-meter record as highlights of his career. In 2001, Haile began to explore longer distances, winning the IAAF half marathon. He completed his first marathon in London in 2002, finishing third. However, he remained focused on track events and aimed to become the first athlete to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the 10,000 meters at the Athens Olympics in 2004. Unfortunately, an injury prior to the games hindered his training, and he finished fifth, overshadowed by compatriot Kenenisa Bekele. After the 2004 Olympics, Haile shifted his focus to marathons and road races. In 2007, he set a new world record at the Berlin Marathon with a time of 2:04:26, which he improved upon the following year with a record of 2:03:59. In 2008, he hoped to earn another Olympic medal in Beijing but opted out of the marathon due to concerns about air quality; he ultimately finished sixth in the 10,000 meters and later expressed regret over not competing in the marathon, as conditions were better than anticipated. Haile Gebrselassie is widely regarded as one of the greatest runners in history, with numerous victories and world records across nearly every long-distance and middle-distance event.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Shimelis Adugna was born in October13,1935 at Jijiga town the then eastern part of Hararge now Somalia zone from military family.He joined his primery school at hararge and then high school in General Wingate secondary school. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Betelehem Tilahun was born in the Zenebework area of Addis Ababa in 1980, the eldest of four siblings. Her parents worked at a local hospital. Alemu attended public primary and secondary schools, and then went on to study accounting at Unity University, graduating in 2004. <a href="https://ju.edu.et/?ac_testimonial=bethlehem-tilahun#more-4132" class="more-link"><span aria-label="Continue reading Bethlehem Tilahun">(more…)</span></a>