But the one highlight that towers above the rest is that of Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila crossing the finish ... He became paralysed after a car accident in 1969 and died from a cerebral ...

From serving Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia to becoming a marathon legend, Abebe Bikila made history as the first black African man to win an Olympic gold medal in Rome in 1960. He then became ...

On that day in 1960, running barefoot, Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia won ... the sport of long-distance running. In 1969, Bikila was paralyzed in a car accident, and never walked again.