Abebe Bikila 1960, 64& Feyisa Lilesa 2016

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Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Tubby Ethiopian swimmer Robel Kiros Habte becomes world's favourite athlete of the 2016 Olympics - Mirror Online



He's the most unlikely Olympian in Brazil… but that's exactly why everyone loves the swimmer with the 'dad bod'

Who's your favourite athlete competing at 2016 Olympics?
Usain Bolt? Michael Phelps? Jessica Ennis?
Wrong, wrong and wrong. Take a look at the clip above and we GUARANTEE your new favourite person at the Rio Games will be Ethiopian swimmer Robel Kiros Habte.
The footage shows Habte giving his all during the heats of the 100m freestyle. This picture of him on the blocks should give you some idea how he got on:


REUTERSRobel Kiros Habte of Ethiopia competes
A fine figure of a man






Sure enough, Habte didn't win the race. In fact, Habte ended up so far behind his fellow competitors, it almost seemed like he was competing in an entirely different sport.
Our man clocked a time of 64.95 seconds in the three-man heat - a massive SEVENTEEN seconds behind Australian pacesetter Kyle Chalmers (47.90).






GettyRobel Kiros Habte of Ethiopia competes
REUTERS


The 24 year-old - who weights in at a pretty hefty 12.5 stone - finished 59th out of the 59 swimmers in the heats.
And the effort he put in, combined with his uniquely wonderful 'dad bod', saw him get an amazing reception:




Mind you, as that tweet from journalist Jai Bednall reminds us, Habte is far from the most unlikely swimmer seen at an Olympics.




Remember Eric "The Eel" Moussambani, the guy from Equatorial Guinea who decided to give swimming a go at the 2000 Sydney Olympics?






REUTERS
GettyEric ''the Eel'' Moussambani
Eric ''the Eel'' Moussambani


Moussambani became a global star after he took a remarkable 1min 52.72sec to complete the same 100m freestyle event as Habte - nearly 50 seconds LONGER than the Ethiopian.
Relive that glorious moment here:

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Ethiopia distances itself from Aden, arrested for doping





Jama Aden has been arrested in Spain for doping. He coaches Ethiopian 1,500 metres world record holder Genzebe Dibaba. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopia's governing body for athletics has sought to distance itself from Jama Aden, the coach of Ethiopian 1,500 metres world record holder Genzebe Dibaba, after his arrest in Spain on doping charges.
The Somali trainer was detained by police this week following months ofinvestigations prompted by a tip-off from the Spanish Agency of Health and Sport (AEPSAD).
The 25 year-old Genzebe - sister of triple Olympic distance champion Tirunesh Dibaba and Olympic silver medallist Ejegayehu Dibaba - is hot favourite to win the 1,500m at this year's Rio Olympics.
"While the individual trained an Ethiopian athlete, he neither has the endorsement nor any working arrangement with the (Ethiopian Athletics) Federation," the body said in a statement on Friday.
Ethiopia has come under scrutiny after the IAAF said it was one of five countries that were in "critical care" over their drug-testing systems.
The Horn of Africa country, which along with neighbour Kenya has for years dominated distance running on the track and the roads, subsequently announced that it would carry out doping tests on up to 200 athletes.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Ethiopia: Genzebe Dibaba’s coach arrested in doping raid

BARCELONA (HAN) June 20.2016. Public Diplomacy & Regional Security News. The coach of World 1500m champion Genzebe Dibaba and other long-distance runners was arrested near Barcelona after Spanish police raided his hotel room and found traces of EPO and other banned substances on Monday.

Jama Aden, a Somalian, was detained along with one of his unnamed trainers from Morocco, as the IAAF tested 30 athletes who were also guests at the Sabadell hotel, about 25 kilometers from Barcelona, where the coach has established annual training camps since 2013.
Police confirmed Aden and his trainer were under arrest on charges of administering and distributing doping substances and endangering public health. After questioning by law enforcement, both detainees should face prosecution within 72 hours.
Local authorities did not expect further arrests to follow.
The athletes, including Dibaba, at the raided hotel were mainly from Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia or Djibouti.
Dibaba is a heavy favorite to win the Olympic women’s 1500m in Rio de Janeiro.
A simultaneous police raid in Madrid also yielded 16 arrests related to the trafficking of drugs and anabolic steroids.
Despite coinciding in time, law enforcement officers stressed there was no connection between the Sabadell operation and the bust in the Spanish capital, mainly linked to the bodybuilding underground market for steroid users.