Astonishing runners
As a child growing up on a farm in Ethiopia, Haile Gebrselassie ran ten kilometres to school each day and another ten home, this meant that as an adult, he ran with his left arm crooked from years of running with schoolbooks held to his chest. He is possibly the most popular runner of his generation and devotes much of his time to raising standards of health and fitness in Ethiopia. He took Olympic Gold medals in Atlanta and Sydney for the10,000 m and won the London Marathon in . He started 2006 positively by shattering the world half marathon record by 21 seconds, recording a time of 58 minutes and 55 seconds.
Paula Radcliffe is the current world record holder for the women's marathon, set during the 2003 London Marathon, with a time of 2:15.25. She was the favourite to win the gold medal in the marathon the 2004 Olympic Games. However after 36 km a combination of anti-inflammatory drugs and a stomach upset caused her to withdraw from the race. Five days later she started in the 10,000 metres but, still suffering from the effects of the marathon, retired with eight laps remaining. She made a successful comeback in her next marathon, New York in 2004, which she won and at the 2005 London Marathon she won with a time of 2 hours 17 minutes 42 seconds.
Emil Zátopek is probably best known for his amazing feat of winning three gold medals in athletics at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won gold in the 5000 m and 10,000 m runs, but his final medal came when he decided at the last minute to compete in the marathon for the first time in his life and won. He also broke the existing Olympic record in each of the three events. A hero in his native country, the Czech Republic Zátopek was an influential figure in the Communist Party. However, he supported the party's democratic wing, and after the Prague Spring, he was forced to work in a uranium mine as punishment. Zátopek died in Prague, after a long illness, in 2000 at the age of 78.
Dame Kelly Holmes is an example of the need never to give up. While training for the 2004 Summer Olympics she endured several leg injuries. Falling deep into depression, she began cutting herself as a punishment. She considered suicide, but sought help from a doctor and was diagnosed with clinical depression. Herbal medication helped her recover in time for the 2004 Olympics where she was one of three favourites for the gold medal in the 800 m. On the day Holmes moved into the lead ahead of training partner and friend Maria Mutola on the final bend, taking the gold. A few days later she entered the 15,000 m race taking the lead in the final straight to win gold and becoming the first British woman to win two Olympic gold medals, and the country's first double gold medallist at the same games since Albert Hill in 1920.
Related Products:
