A delighted Miruts is pictured above celebrating as he approaches the finishing line
to take the Gold medal in the final of the 10,000m at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
It completed a magnificent double for the Ethiopian who also took the 5000m Gold.
The actual age of Miruts Yifter is uncertain ! The most common versions of his date of
birth are 1st. January 1938 or 15th. May 1944.
At the Moscow Olympics Miruts Yifter was the question of his age, which was reported to be
between 33 and 42. Yifter refused to give a definitive answer, telling reporters:
"Men may steal my chickens; men may steal my sheep. But no man can steal my age."
| |
|
Men's 5,000m. Final.
Olympic Games 1980
|
| 1. Miruts YIFTER |
|
ETH |
|
13: 20.91 |
| 2. Suleiman NYAMBUI |
|
TAN |
|
13: 21.60 |
| 3. Kaarlo MAANINKA |
|
FIN |
|
13: 22.00 |
| 4. Eamonn COGHLAN |
|
IRL |
|
13: 22.74 |
| 5. Markus RYFFEL |
|
SWI |
|
13: 23.03 |
| 6. Dietmar MILLONIG |
|
AUT |
|
13: 23.62 |
| 7. John TREACY |
|
IRL |
|
13: 24.10 |
| 8. Aleksandr FEDOTKIN |
|
SOV |
|
13: 24.10 |
|
|
|
Men's 10,000m. Final.
Olympic Games 1980
|
| 1. Miruts YIFTER |
|
ETH |
|
27: 42.69 |
| 2. Kaarlo MAANINKA |
|
FIN |
|
27: 44.28 |
| 3. Mohammed KEDIR |
|
ETH |
|
27: 44.64 |
| 4. Tolossa KOTU |
|
ETH |
|
27: 46.47 |
| 5. Lasse VIREN |
|
FIN |
|
27: 50.46 |
| 6. Jorg PETER |
|
GDR |
|
28: 05.53 |
| 7. Werner SCHILDHAUER |
|
GDR |
|
28: 10.91 |
| 8. Enn SELLIK |
|
SOV |
|
28.13.72 |
1972 Olympic Games Munich.
| |
|
Men's 10,000m. Final.
Olympic Games 1972
|
| 1. Lasse VIREN |
|
FIN |
|
27: 38.4 |
| 2. Emiel PUTTEMANS |
|
BEL |
|
27: 39.6 |
| 3. Miruts YIFTER |
|
ETH |
|
27: 41.0 |
| 4. Mariano Haro CISNEROS |
|
SPA |
|
27: 48.2 |
| 5. Frank SHORTER |
|
USA |
|
27: 51.4 |
| 6. Dave BEDFORD |
|
GBR |
|
28: 05.4 |
| 7. Daniel KORICA |
|
YUG |
|
28: 15.2 |
| 8. Abdelkader ZADDEM |
|
TUN |
|
28: 18.2 |
Miruts Yifter also won the IAAF World Cup Gold medals as below:
1977 Düsseldorf 5000 metres
1977 Düsseldorf 10,000 metres
1979 Montreal 5000 metres
1979 Montreal 10,000 metres
And the 1973 All Africa Games 10,000 metres Gold.
In 1977 he broke the world record for the half marathon.
At the 1st African Championships in 1979 he won two gold medals (5,000 and 10,000 metres).
He died on 22nd December 2016 aged 72 (at least) in Toronto, Ontario where he had lived since 2000.
According to family members, he had been suffering from respiratory problems.