Legend Haile Gebrselassie: The Next President of the Ethiopian Athletics Federation

Haile Gebrselassie (PHOTO: BBC News)

Retired running legend and founder of the Ethiopian Great Run, Haile Gebrselassie, has been elected president of the Ethiopian Athletics Federation.

(AFP)–The 43-year-old sports star, one of the greatest distance runners of all time, will serve four years.

Local media reported he won nine of the 15 votes.

“I feel so honored to be elected president of the Ethiopian Athletics Federation! Will work on a great future for Ethiopian athletics!” the runner wrote on Twitter.

Haile Gebrselassie had been a vocal critic of the federation, accusing its leaders of “incompetence” in preparing for the Rio Olympics.

The former champion – a 10000m double Olympic gold medalist – took part in a demonstration against the federation’s selection criteria and its decision to drop triple Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele from the team.

Ethiopia went on to win just eight medals in Rio, including only one gold for Almaz Ayana in the women’s 10000m, and placed 44th in the country rankings, far behind Kenya, its neighbor and historic rival.

In 2001, Haile Gebrselassie along with Peter Middlebrook and Abi Masefield established the Great Ethiopian Run, is an annual 10-kilometre road running event which takes place in late November in Addis Ababa.

Source: Times LIVE
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