Haile Gebrselassie

Haile Gebrselassie is an Ethiopian former long-distance runner and one of the most decorated athletes in the history of the sport. He won two Olympic gold medals and four World Championship titles over the 10,000 metres, while also claiming four world indoor titles and the 2001 World Half Marathon Championship. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest distance runners of all time.

Gebrselassie competed at the highest level across distances ranging from 1,500 metres to the marathon, excelling on the track, indoors, in cross country, and on the road. Over his career he set 27 world records and broke 61 Ethiopian national records, spanning from the 800 metres to the marathon. He won the 2008 Berlin Marathon in a world record time of 2:03:59, a mark that stood for three years. He also won the Berlin Marathon four consecutive times and had three straight victories at the Dubai Marathon.

Beyond athletics, Gebrselassie built a successful business career, contributing to economic development in Ethiopia. He was named one of the 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine in 2011.