Dejen Gebremeskel’s winning the Boston New Balance Indoor Grand Prix 3000 in 7:35.37 on Saturday despite losing a shoe in the first lap drew accolades and recalled, for some, the legendary barefoot victory at the 1960 Rome Olympics of his countryman, Ethiopian running pioneer Abebe Bikila. Gebremeskel was the 2008 World Junior bronze medalist over 5000 meters and had a breakthrough year in 2010, when he made Ethiopia’s World Indoor Championships team in the 3000. He also took second to Bernard Lagat in the latter’s American record-breaking indoor 5000 in Boston (where Gebremeskel ran 13:11.78 to Lagat’s 13:11.50); and at the Prefontaine Classic 5000 meters in Eugene, where Gebremeskel cracked 13 minutes, improving his time to 12:53.56 the following month at the Stockholm Diamond League meet. Gebremeskel hails from the Adigrat area of the same northern Ethiopian region of Tigray as 2010 ING New York City Marathon champion Gebre Gebremariam and 1980 double Olympic champion Miruts Yifter. Gebremeskel spoke to Sabrina Yohannes a day after his one-shoe run (which was by no means a ‘half-shod’ effort!).
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