1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Welcome to This Day in History Class, where 3 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,119 Speaker 1: we bring you a new tip bit from history every day. 4 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: Today is September. The day was September nineteen sixty. Ethiopian 5 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 1: marathon runner Abebe Bikola became the first black African to 6 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:38,239 Speaker 1: win a gold medal in the Olympics. Bikola was a 7 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:40,880 Speaker 1: private in the Army and in the bodyguard of High 8 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:45,839 Speaker 1: Lie Selassie, the Emperor of Ethiopia. When Bikola was training, 9 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:51,160 Speaker 1: Swedish coach Ony Niskanen recognized his running skill. He would 10 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 1: often run twenty miles and do repeated sprints of and 11 00:00:55,960 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: he would often run those distances barefoot. Bikola won Ethiopia's 12 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:04,760 Speaker 1: Olympic selection marathon in Addis Ababa in July of nineteen 13 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 1: sixty at high altitude. The next month, he won another 14 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:11,759 Speaker 1: marathon with a time of two hours twenty one minutes 15 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 1: in twenty three seconds. Niskanen was convinced that Bikola could 16 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 1: win at the Olympics. He entered Bikola in the nineteen 17 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 1: sixty Olympics in Rome. The September ten marathon was staged 18 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: to pass a bunch of Roman landmarks. The course would 19 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:30,960 Speaker 1: begin in the evening at the Campidogo on Capitoline Hill 20 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 1: and meander through Rome. Bikola chose to run barefoot, as 21 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: that is how he was used to running and the 22 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:41,120 Speaker 1: running shoes he came to Rome with we're causing blisters. 23 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 1: Soldiers held torches to light the path along the Appian Way. 24 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: By the sixteenth mile of the marathon, Vikola and Moroccan 25 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 1: Roddy bin Abdessalam were tied for the lead, but Bikola 26 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 1: had saved his surge for the last mile or so 27 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: of the race, as he had discussed with his coach. 28 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 1: The Obelisk of Axim was an old Ethiopian artifact stolen 29 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: by invading Italian troops during World War Two. As he 30 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:11,519 Speaker 1: passed the obelisk a second time, he made it out 31 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:15,800 Speaker 1: in front of Roddy. The marathon finished at the illuminated 32 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:20,800 Speaker 1: Arch of Constantine, just outside the coliseum. Bikola won the 33 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 1: marathon with a world record of two hours, fifteen minutes 34 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 1: in sixteen point two seconds. The next year, Bikolo won 35 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:34,919 Speaker 1: marathons in Greece, Japan, and Czechoslovakia. After he finished fifth 36 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 1: in the Boston Marathon. In nineteen sixty three, he returned 37 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:42,359 Speaker 1: to the army in Ethiopia, but by nineteen sixty four, 38 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:46,079 Speaker 1: Bikolo was back at the Olympics after running two hours 39 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 1: sixteen minutes in eighteen seconds at altitude in the Olympic 40 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:55,080 Speaker 1: Trials in Oddis Ababa. Just six weeks before the Tokyo Olympics, 41 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 1: he had surgery for appendicitis. Though he was not expected 42 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: to compete, he joined the marathon anyway, and he won 43 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:07,080 Speaker 1: the Olympic gold medal again with a record breaking time 44 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 1: of two hours, twelve minutes and eleven point two seconds. 45 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 1: Bikola continued to run marathons and made it to the 46 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty eight Olympics, but he had to drop out 47 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 1: of that Olympic marathon after about ten miles or sixteen 48 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:25,359 Speaker 1: kilometers because of an injury. That was the last time 49 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:29,160 Speaker 1: he would compete in the marathon. In nineteen sixty nine, 50 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 1: Bikolo was in a car crash that paralyzed him. After that, 51 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:38,600 Speaker 1: he began participating in archery competitions and games for disabled athletes. 52 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: He was an honored guest at the nineteen seventy two 53 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 1: Munich Olympics. He died in October of nineteen seventy three 54 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 1: of a cerebral hemorrhage. Bikolo was not the first ever 55 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 1: black African to win an Olympic medal. That was like Corte, 56 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: a Ghanaian boxer who became the first black African Olympic 57 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 1: medallists when he got silver in nineteen sixty. I'm each 58 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: Chef Coote and hopefully you know a little more about 59 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. Get more Notes from 60 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:16,839 Speaker 1: History on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at t d I 61 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:27,279 Speaker 1: h C podcast Tune in tomorrow for another Day in History. 62 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I Heeart Radio, visit the iHeart 63 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 64 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:33,719 Speaker 1: favorite shows.