Mamo Wolde breaks the tape to take the 1968 Olympic marathon gold medal (© Getty Images)
A commemorative statue erected in the honour of Ethiopia’s second Olympic marathon gold medallist Mamo Wolde will be unveiled this Sunday (25 May) at a ceremony in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
Ethiopia's 1968 Olympic marathon champion Mamo Wolde who died on Sunday 25 May 2002 at the age of 70 years after a long illness, was a former army captain. who became a sporting hero in Ethiopia after winning the marathon gold at the 1968 Mexico Olympics and the bronze in the 1972 Munich Games.
Wolde’s achievements are now about to receive official recognition after well-known philanthropist Mr. Abeselom Yehdego, who has made many generous contributions to Ethiopian Athletics, personally funded the construction of a commemorative statue, which has been built right near Wolde’s burial place at St. Joseph Church in Addis Ababa.
The recognition is significant given that Wolde had spent most of the last nine years in jail, accused of taking part in the murder of a 15-year-old boy during the regime of Marxist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, but always maintained his innocence.
Wolde was found guilty of the crime in January 2002 and sentenced to six years in prison, but was released because he had already spent nine years behind bars.
On returning to his wife and three children in Addis Ababa, Wolde who suffered from lack of hearing, bronchitis, bad eyesight and liver pain, beamed with delight and said he accepted the court's verdict with grace, even though he was not the one who killed the boy.
"Thank God, I am free at last," he said at the time. "I bear no malice towards anyone."
