Haile Gebrselassie: Career, Controversy & Net Worth
Our greatest glory is not in winning but in rising every time we fall. That is the quote that resonated with the athlete we are talking about, and it is none other than Haile Gebrselassie.
Who is Haile Gebrselassie, you may ask? Haile Gebrselassie is an Ethiopian long-distance running and road running athlete.
The now-retired athlete Haile has achieved two gold medals at the Olympics along with his four World Championship Titles.
He has set about 27 world records in his career and is considered one of the greatest long-distance running athletes ever to be born.
But life was not always easy for Haile. He came from an impoverished household and slowly made his way all the way to the top.
His story is truly inspirational. After retirement, he has been working on his own coffee brand and car assembly factory back in Ethiopia.
In this article, we have mentioned all that there is to know about Haile Gebrselassie.
Quick Facts
Here are some quick facts about Haile Gebrselassie.
Full name | Haile Gebrselassie |
Date of birth | 18th of April in 1973 |
Age | [calculate_years datestring=”04/18/1973″] Years Old |
Birthplace | Asella, Oromiya region of Ethiopia |
Religion | Christian |
Nationality | Ethiopia |
Ethnicity | Not Available |
Education | Not Available |
Father’s name | Bekele Gebrselassie |
Mother’s name | Ayelet Degtu |
Zodiac sign | Aries |
Height | 5 feet and 5 inches |
Weight | 54 kg |
Sexual Orientation | Straight |
Profession | Long Distance track runner |
Body Measurement | Unknown |
Hair color | Black |
Eye color | Black |
Net Worth | $1 million |
Siblings | Five brothers and four sister |
Marital Status | Married |
Spouse | Alem Te Lhun |
Children | Four Children |
Current status | Retired |
Nickname | Haile |
Salary | $250,000 |
Social Media | |
Debut year | 1992 AD |
Achievements | Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men’s 10,000 meters Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men’s 10,000 meters |
Merch | Mundus Souvenirs, Photo |
Last Update | [current-month], [current-year] |
Haile Gebrselassie: Early Life
Haile Gebrselassie was born on the 18th of April in 1973. He was born and raised in the Asella, Oromiya region of Ethiopia.
His father’s name is Bekele Gebrselassie, and his mother’s name is Ayelech Degtu. Both of his parents were farmers in a small village.
Haile is one of the ten kids in his family. This meant that, growing up, Haile faced extreme poverty.
The family didn’t have enough food to eat, let alone wear any good clothes. And when he was just six years old, his mother died of cancer.
His five brothers and four sisters were left with their father to grow crops whenever the weather suited them. As a result, sometimes they ate corn only.
At times like this, Haile wondered how he could be successful in helping his family and the community.
Because of their financial situation, Haile could not study well and was always focused on being an athlete and making his family proud.
He had to travel ten kilometers back and forth to get to school, which helped him grow an affinity for running.
The athlete’s father urged him to focus on his studies, but Haile disobeyed his father and ran away to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, at the age of fifteen.
There he participated in a marathon but performed poorly, but this gave him a taste of long-distance running. So when he came back, his father banned him from ever running.
When he was 16, he moved back to Addis Ababa to enlist in the army, but one of his brothers encouraged him to get back into running.
He trained at Jan Meda for an entire year until he was selected for the Ethiopian Junior National Team.
Haile Gebrselassie: Personal Life
Haile Gebrselassie is an Ethiopian citizen. He is Christian by faith.
Being born in April, Haile is an Aries in zodiac charts. Aries is a fire sign, and a ram represents them.
Aries people have traits such as being observant, intelligent, helpful, aggressive, and humble.
Haile is the perfect example of Aries when it comes to their passionate side, as he puts all his effort into one thing.
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Married Life
Haile is married to Alem Te Lhun and has been married for more than two decades now. Moreover, the couple tied the knot in 1996.
Haile and Alem have three daughters and a son. His daughters are named Eden Gebrselassie, Melat Gebrselassie, and Bete Gebrselassie.
Haile is a family man despite his busy schedule and likes to devote all his free time to his children.
Since his youngest daughter loves watching cartoons, he sits down and enjoys it with her.
In addition, they are seen spending quality time in religious places to learn more about history.
Moreover, the family resides together in Addis Ababa.
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Haile Gebrselassie: Professional Career
Gebrselassie started his career in 1992 when he won gold in the 5000 meters and 10,00 meters race at the World Junior Championship.
He also won the silver medal at the World Cross Country Championship in the same year.
After this, Haile was on a winning streak and won four consecutive world titles in 1993, 1995, 1997, and 1999 at the world championship.
In 1994, the athlete won the bronze at the IAAF World Cross Country Championship.
His world record at Zurich was voted Performance of the Year in 1995 by Track and Field magazine.
During his run in the 1997 Zurich Meet, there was a neck-to-neck performance between Halle Gabrselassie and Daniel Komen.
In 1998, Haile set records for the 5000 meters and 10,000 meters outdoor race.
Moreover, the June of the same year, he set the world record for 10,000 meters at a time of 26:22:75.
Haile started his acting career with the movie Endurance, which revolves around the story of winning his 10,000 meters race in Atlanta.
He continued to defend his Outdoor championship title even in 1999.
In 2001, Haile won the IAAF World Half Marathon Championship and the bronze medal at the 2001 World Championship.
Similarly, in August of 2003, the athlete became part of the IAAF Athletes Commissions.
In 2004, Haile was determined to become the first person to win three consecutive gold at the Olympics but could not do so and settled for the fifth position.
So after that, he left his track career and focused mainly on his marathon career.
Haile made his marathon debut in the London marathon, where he finished third.
Later Years
In 2006, Haile won the fastest time in the Amsterdam Marathon with 2:06:20.
After a few bad performances, he ran in the Berlin Marathon with the fastest time of the year.
In his debut at the New York Marathon, he won it in August of 2007.
Since he had asthma due to the pollution level in Beijing, the athlete had to withdraw from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
After the New York Marathon of 2010, Haile announced his retirement from running.
He originally wanted to retire in 2012, but he did not do so.
By the end of his career, he has two Olympic gold medals, eight World Championship victories, and twenty-seven world records.
In an interview with BBC sports, the athlete said that he would never stop running because that was his life. His twenty-five years of career was very glorious.
Recently, Haile has been working as the president of the Ethiopian Athletic Federation.
In addition, he has collaborated with Hyundai to start a Marathon Motor engineering factory there.
Haile has even opened up his own coffee estate named Sundried Ethiopian Haile Coffee Estate. The Starbucks Reserve distributes this blend.
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Haile Gebrselassie: Controversy
Haile has managed to remain controversy-free for most of his career.
But because of athlete Mo Farah, Haile found himself amidst a few controversies.
When Mo Farah stayed at Haile’s hotel in Addis Ababa, Mo alleged that items were stolen from his bag.
He complained that Haile did not intervene in the matter. Later the matter went to the police, and five of the employees were arrested.
But after finding no sufficient evidence, they were let go. Mo was convinced that the hotel staff stole the keys and stole his valuables.
Farah even went as far as to express his disappointment towards Haile. Haile replied by saying that Mo was the one acting inappropriately.
Haile also reported that Mo Farah hit a married man and his wife at the gym.
This dispute lasted for a while, severing all ties between Mo Farah and Gebrselassie.
Haile Gebrselassie: Net Worth
Gebrselassie earned a major chunk of his fortune by being on track for many decades.
Besides this, he has also gained wealth from his brand endorsement deals.
Haile Gebrselassie has a net worth of one million us dollar.
He reportedly makes a quarter-million dollars each year from his coffee business and other business.
In the past, he has also promoted a controversial whiskey brand for $400,000.
With his earnings, it is clear that Haile is living a pretty comfortable life with his family.
Haile Gebrselassie: Physical Appearance
Haile is five feet and five inches tall. He weighs around 54 kgs.
Despite his age, the athlete has a well-maintained physique because of his healthy lifestyle.
His exact body measurement is unknown. His shoe size is also unknown.
Haile has black hair with similar black eyes. In addition, he has a dark skin complexion.
Haile Gebrselassie: Social Media
In the name of Social media, Haile only uses Twitter. Nevertheless, he has over 289.2K Followers.
FAQs
How many Olympic gold medals does Haile Gebrselassie have?
Haile Gebrselassie has two Olympic gold medals.
Is Haile the fastest man in Ethiopia?
Yes, Haile is the fastest man in Ethiopia.
What is Haile Gebrselassie famous for?
Haile Gebrselassie is famous for being an Ethiopian distance runner with two gold medals in Olympics.