Miruts Yifter (, affectionately known as "Yifter the Shifter", 15 May 1944 – 22 December 2016) was an Ethiopian
long-distance runner and winner of two
gold medal
A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture.
Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...
s at the
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...
. His date of birth is often given as 15 May 1944, though there is some uncertainty about this. His name is also sometimes spelled as Muruse Yefter.
Early life
Born in
Adigrat
Adigrat (, ''ʿaddigrat'', also called ʿAddi Grat) is a city and separate woreda in Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is located in the Misraqawi Zone at longitude and latitude , with an elevation of above sea level and below a high ridge to the we ...
in northern
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
, Miruts spent early parts of his youth working in different factories and as a carriage driver. His talent as a long-distance runner was noticed when he joined the
Ethiopian Air Force
The Ethiopian Air Force (ETAF) () is the air service branch of the Ethiopian National Defence Force. The ETAF is tasked with protecting the national air space, providing support to ground forces, as well as assisting civil operations during nati ...
.
Running career
Miruts was called to the Ethiopian national team for the
1968 Summer Olympics in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
, but he made his Olympic debut four years later in
Munich Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...
where he won a
bronze medal
A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...
in
10,000 metres. However, he arrived too late for the
5000 metres
The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...
final.
In the
1973 All-Africa Games he won one gold medal (10,000 m) and one
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
(5000 m). At the
1st African Championships in 1979 he won two gold medals (5000 and 10,000 metres).
Miruts was unable to participate in the
1976 Summer Olympics
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...
because his nation boycotted the event. Four years later in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
, Miruts made up for his disappointments by winning gold in both the 10,000 and 5000 m. In the final of the 10,000 m he sprinted into the lead 300 m from the finish and won by ten metres. Five days later, in the 5000 m final, Miruts was boxed in during the last lap. But with 300 m to go, his Ethiopian teammate,
Mohamed Kedir
Mohamed Kedir (Amharic: ሞሐመድ ከድር; born September 18, 1954) is a former long-distance runner from Ethiopia, who won the bronze medal in men's 10,000 metres at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
In the 5000 metres final, Kedir still led with ...
, stepped aside and Miruts again sprinted to victory. Due to his abrupt change in speed when executing his kick to the finish, Miruts acquired the nickname "Yifter the Shifter."
At
Coamo
Coamo (, ) is a town and municipality founded in 1579 in the south-central region of Puerto Rico, located north of Santa Isabel; south of Orocovis and Barranquitas; east of Villalba and Juana Díaz; and west of Aibonito and Salinas. Coamo ...
, Puerto Rico on 6 February 1977, Miruts ran a World Best for the half-marathon of 1:02:57.
At the Moscow Olympics, part of the mystery surrounding Miruts was the question of his age, which was reported to be between 33 and 42. Miruts 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."
The most common versions of his date of birth are 1 January 1938 or 15 May 1944 (see IAAF Profile).
Miruts continued competing into the early 1980s, running on Ethiopia's gold medal winning team at the 1982 and 1983
IAAF World Cross Country Championships
World Athletics Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Formerly held annually and organised by World Athletics (formerly the IAAF), it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the Int ...
.
Death
Miruts died at age of 72 on 22 December 2016 in Toronto, Ontario, where he had lived since 2000. According to family members, he had been suffering from respiratory problems.
He was buried in
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...
, in the
Holy Trinity Cathedral cemetery.
International competitions
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yifter, Miruts
1944 births
2016 deaths
Sportspeople from Tigray Region
Ethiopian male long-distance runners
Olympic athletes of Ethiopia
Olympic gold medalists for Ethiopia
Olympic bronze medalists for Ethiopia
Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1980 Summer Olympics
World record setters in athletics (track and field)
Ethiopian Air Force personnel
Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)
African Games gold medalists for Ethiopia
African Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
Ethiopian emigrants to Canada
Age controversies
Athletes (track and field) at the 1973 All-Africa Games