Q 01/05

In which Ethiopian town was Haile Gebrselassie born on 18 April 1973?

A) Gondar

B) Asella

C) Addis Ababa

D) Harar

Answer · why

B) Asella

Asella was home to the family farm, which had no running water or electricity; his father expected him to work the land rather than race.

Q 02/05

What caused Haile Gebrselassie's distinctive posture, with his left arm crooked?

A) Carrying his books to school on foot

B) A childhood collarbone break

C) Copying his first coach's style

D) A tendon injury from a fall

Answer · why

A) Carrying his books to school on foot

Carrying his books to school on foot meant running ten kilometres each way with them tucked under one arm, and the arm stayed crooked when he raced on...

Q 03/05

Which prize for his 1993 world title won Haile's father over?

A) A Mercedes-Benz

B) A Rolex watch

C) A farm plot

D) A house in Addis Ababa

Answer · why

A) A Mercedes-Benz

A Mercedes-Benz came with the 10,000 m gold in Stuttgart. His father had not wanted him to run, and he backed it from then on.

Q 04/05

In which city did Haile win his first Olympic 10,000 m gold medal, in 1996?

A) Atlanta

B) Barcelona

C) Sydney

D) Athens

Answer · why

A) Atlanta

Atlanta brought the first of his two Olympic golds. The hard track left his feet so blistered and sore that he withdrew from the 5000 m.

Q 05/05

In which city did Haile win the marathon four years running?

A) Berlin

B) London

C) Chicago

D) Rotterdam

Answer · why

A) Berlin

Berlin gave him four straight wins from 2006 to 2009. In 2008 he skipped the Olympic marathon, then ran 2:03:59 there five weeks later, the first time...