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Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie was born on April 18, 1973, in Arsella, a small town in the Arsi Province of Ethiopia. He was one of ten children in a farming family, and his early life was shaped by the rugged Ethiopian highlands. As a child, Gebrselassie ran ten kilometers each way to school and back, carrying his books under his arm. This daily routine at high altitude unknowingly built the aerobic foundation that would make him one of the greatest distance runners the world has ever seen. His distinctive running style, with his left arm slightly crooked as if still carrying those school books, became one of athletics' most recognizable trademarks.
Full profile →Hicham El Guerrouj
Hicham El Guerrouj was born on September 14, 1974, in Berkane, a city in northeastern Morocco near the Mediterranean coast. Growing up in a large family with modest means, El Guerrouj discovered running as a teenager and quickly demonstrated extraordinary natural ability. He was inspired by fellow Moroccan Said Aouita, who had dominated middle-distance running in the 1980s, and dreamed of carrying on the proud tradition of Moroccan athletics on the world stage.
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