Medal Count

Gold

4

Sliver

1

Bronze

3

Total

8

Sep 30, 2000

Ethiopian Gezahgne Abera pulled away in the final three miles to win the gold medal in the men's marathon as African athletes filled the three medal positions. Abera finished in a time of two hours, 10 minutes and 11 seconds to beat Kenya's Eric Wainaina by 20 seconds, with another Ethiopian Tesfaye Tola in third .                                                    

Altitude training secret of Ethiopian golds
Sabrina Yohannes

2 October 2000 - Sydney - Intensive high-altitude training in the month before the Olympics is the key to Ethiopia's record haul of four gold medals at the Sydney Games, according to team officials.

Ethiopian track athletes' gold medal tally, only bettered by the United States at the Sydney Games, was crowned when Gezahenge Abera completed a great tradition for his country by winning the final event, the men's marathon.

"We train high, and compete low," said team doctor Ayalew Tilahun

Sports Culture

Ethiopia's Olympic debut came at the 1956 Melbourne Games, but it was Abebe Bikila's epic barefooted Olympic marathon victory through the streets of Rome in 1960 that thrust Ethiopian athletes into the global sporting limelight. By winning at the 1964 Tokyo Games (this time wearing shoes), he became the first athlete to win consecutive Olympic marathons. At the 1968 Games in Mexico City, Ethiopia claimed a third consecutive marathon gold on the performance of Mamo Wolde. In between Ethiopia's participation in the 1976 and 1984 Olympic boycotts, Miruts Yifter won gold medals in the men's 5,000- and 10,000-metre events at the 1980 Moscow Games. Haile Gebrselassie, the current Olympic and world champion in the 10,000-metre race and world-record holder in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres, is the dominant long-distance runner of the 1990s. Ethiopian women also enjoy an impressive record. Derartu Tulu captured the gold medal in the 10,000 metres at the 1992 Barcelona Games, and Fatuma Roba won the marathon gold medal in 1996. The international triumphs of Ethiopian runners, highlighted by their eight Olympic gold medals, have lifted the spirits of a people deeply aggrieved by the effects of political conflicts, social upheaval and environmental disasters.

In addition to boasting excellent track athletes, Ethiopia was instrumental in the organisation of post-colonial African football, thanks to the efforts of Ydnekatchew Tessema. A former player for the St George football team of Addis Ababa, Tessema was a founding member and guiding force of the African Football Confederation from 1957 to his death in 1987. In the 1960s Ethiopia was a force in African football, seizing the 1962 African Nations Cup held in Addis Ababa and finishing fourth in 1963 and 1968. Star forward Worku Menghistu personified the golden age of Ethiopian football and was a national hero in the 1960s. After 1970 football in Ethiopia entered a period of steady decline.

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