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A legacy in motion
225 kilometers south of Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa is Bekoji, a city famous for producing athletic stars who have collectively taken home 18 Olympic medals to date.
Pandemic pause
However, recent months have seen the city’s eucalyptus forests, typically transformed into a training ground for aspiring running, extremely bare after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government declared the country in a state of emergency.
A blocking decision that, consequently, interrupted the sports meetings (among many other things) that will be lifted months later in September. Just in time for three-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion Kenenisa Bekele, a native of Bekoji, to take on Kenyan icon and world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge in the London Marathon on Sunday.
Back on track
This is the latest sign of a return to normalcy for Bekoji’s runners after pandemic-related outages and a huge boost of inspiration for young runners who saw the pandemic suspend their sporting dreams.
Fatiya Abdi, a local rack coach, shared her take on the current energy among the city’s young runners: “The race that Kenenisa will compete in (Kenenisa Bekele, an Ethiopian long-distance runner who will compete in the 2020 London Marathon) It will motivate townspeople and athletes, encourage our athletes to work hard and motivate them to prepare for their own competitions. “
Hanna Awugichew, an ambitious 16-year-old who trains with Abdi through the Girls Gotta Run organization, has been itching to get back on track since the coronavirus prevention restrictions were put in place eight months ago and is happy to be instructed once again in person with her teammates, “We had prepared for the competition and trained well, I was very excited to reach my goal but we could not compete because of the coronavirus, and that was very disappointing.”
Champions in training
Awugchew, who qualified for a national competition in the 400m sprint, aspires to be Ethiopia’s next elite runner. Like many of his peers who hope to emulate Bekoji’s many international running stars, household names like Derartu Tulu, Fatuma Roba and Tirunesh Dibaba, and carry on the city’s legacy.
