Miruts Yifter’s talent as a long-distance runner was only noticed when he joined the Ethiopian Air Force, after spending his youth working in factories and as a carriage driver. Yifter made his Olympic début at the 1972 München Olympics where he won a bronze medal in the 10,000 m. He also qualified for the 5K final, but missed the final when he arrived late to the stadium. He was unable to participate at the 1976 Montréal Olympics when Ethiopia boycotted, but four years later in Moskva, Yifter made up for his disappointments, winning the 5K/10K double by using his punishing sprint to outkick all his competitors.
Besides his Olympic medals, Yifter won the 10,000 m gold and 5,000 m silver at the 1973 All-African Games and won both the 5 and 10K at the inaugural African Championships in 1979. Yifter continued to compete into the early 1980s, running on Ethiopia’s gold medal winning team at the 1982 and 1983 IAAF International Cross-Country Championships. In the 1990s he emigrated to Canada, where he worked as an athletics coach until his death.
Personal Bests: 5000 – 13:13.82 (1977); 10000 – 27:40.96 (1972).
Ethiopia