Legendary Ethiopian celebrates milestone birthday on April 18 and his performances continue to stand the test of time
Eight years ago we asked AW readers to decide the greatest long distance runner in history. We were inundated with opinions and Haile Gebrselassie emerged as leader of the pack with 45.6% votes ahead of Emil Zátopek (20.3%), Kenenisa Bekele (15.2%), Mo Farah (8.6%), Paavo Nurmi (5.5%), Lasse Viren (3%), Abebe Bikila (1.8%).
Since that poll Farah went on to win more world and Olympic titles. More importantly, we have seen the rise of Eliud Kipchoge with two Olympic titles, multiple big-city marathon wins, world records and of course his sub-two-hour time trial.
So, the question is, as Gebrselassie celebrates his 50th birthday this week, is the ‘Ethiopian Emperor’ still the greatest? I would say yes, largely due to the sheer range of his achievements.
Mo Farah, Kenenisa Bekele and Haile Gebreselassie race in 2013 (Mark Shearman)
Gebrselassie first made a name for himself by winning 5000m and 10,000m golds at the World Junior Championships in Seoul in 1992. The 10,000m attracted plenty of attention, too, after Kenyan rival Josephat Machuka punched Gebrselassie in the back out of frustration when the Ethiopian kicked past him metres from the finish line.
Kenyan athletes would have to endure a similar experience of being out-kicked time and time again throughout the rest of the 1990s and the turn of the millennium as well as Gebrselassie won the Olympic 10,000m in 1996 and 2000, plus four world 10,000m golds, four world indoor titles and a world half-marathon gold.
Not all victories were easy either. His duel with Paul Tergat at Sydney 2000, for instance, if sometimes described as the greatest 10,000m race in history.
Haile Gebrselassie (Mark Shearman)
When racing against the clock he set an incredible 27 world records. On the roads he was the first runner to go sub-2:04 for the marathon when he ran 2:03:59 in Berlin in 2008. Such was his range, he won the world indoor title at 1500m in 1999.
Not surprisingly he appeared on the cover of AW at least a dozen times during his heyday. His achievements outside athletics have been extraordinary, too, with Jim Denison, the author of his official biography, once telling me that his off-track energy and accomplishments in the business world were every bit as impressive as his running results.
Certainly, Gebrselassie did not merely impress when he was running. His ever-smiling and charismatic personality helped him become a big name outside the world of athletics.
There’s no doubt Gebrselassie’s place in athletics folklore is secure, but is he still the greatest of all-time?
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