1960 running barefoot in the marathon event at the rome olympics 09 10
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1960 66 years ago Selected Events September 10 4 sources

Running barefoot in the marathon event at the Rome Olympics, Abebe Bikila became the first athlete from sub-Saharan Africa to win an Olympic gold medal.

On September 10, in the year 1960, Running barefoot in the marathon event at the Rome Olympics, Abebe Bikila became the first athlete from sub-Saharan Africa to win an Olympic gold medal. This event is recorded as a Selected Events event in the history of September 10, one of 439 recorded events on this date across all of history.

The men's marathon at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, was held on Saturday September 10, 1960. There were 69 participants from 35 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. Abebe Bikila, who ran the race barefoot, finished in world record time and became the first sub-Saharan African to win an Olympic gold medal. All three of the medalists came from nations which had never before won an Olympic marathon medal. The winning margin was 25.4 seconds.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on September 10, 1960 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Selected Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 4 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 20 October 2025.

On This Date in History 439

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Historical Events 2002 Sep 10 Switzerland, traditionally a neutral country, becomes a full member of the United Nations.
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This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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