10 Facts About Miruts Yifter

Miruts Yifter was an Ethiopian long-distance runner and winner of two gold medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics.

Miruts Yifter was called to the Ethiopian national team for the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, but he made his Olympic debut four years later in Munich Olympics where he won a bronze medal in 10,000 metres.

Miruts Yifter was unable to participate in the 1976 Summer Olympics because his nation boycotted the event.

Four years later in Moscow, Miruts Yifter made up for his disappointments by winning gold in both the 10,000 m and 5,000 m events.

Five days later, in the 5,000 m final, Miruts Yifter was boxed in during the last lap.

At Coamo, Puerto Rico on 6 February 1977, Miruts Yifter ran a World Best for the half-marathon of 1:02:57.

At the Moscow Olympics, part of the mystery surrounding Miruts Yifter was the question of his age, which was reported to be between 33 and 42.

Miruts Yifter continued competing into the early 1980s, running on Ethiopia's gold medal winning team at the 1982 and 1983 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

Miruts Yifter died aged 72 on 22 December 2016 in Toronto, Ontario, where he had lived since 2000.

Miruts Yifter was buried in Addis Ababa, in the Holy Trinity Cathedral cemetery.