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Haile Gebrselassie
The farm boy from Arsi who ran with a crooked arm and an unbreakable smile to become one of the greatest distance runners in history.
The rise
Born in Asella in Ethiopia's Arsi region, he ran 10km to school and back as a child, his left arm permanently bent from carrying books, before announcing himself by winning the 5,000m and 10,000m world junior titles in 1992.
What they did
He took back-to-back Olympic 10,000m golds in 1996 and 2000, won four straight world 10,000m titles, set 27 world records from 2,000m to the marathon, and in 2008 became the first man to run a marathon under 2:04 in Berlin.
The full picture
Beyond the track he built a large business empire and entered politics, and his post-athletics career drew controversy, including a bitter 2018 dispute with Britain's Mo Farah over a hotel theft allegation, and criticism over his ventures and political alignments.
Why it matters
Gebrselassie defined the modern era of Ethiopian and African distance running and, as an athlete-turned-entrepreneur, became a model of how sporting greatness can be parlayed into economic influence at home.
“"When you run, you don't think about anything. You just feel free."”
What citizens said
Afrobarometer Round 9 (2021–2023) — Ethiopia
% who say 'trust somewhat' or 'trust a lot' · Afrobarometer Dispatch No. 891