Haile Gebrselassie, the Ethiopian distance-running legend whose influence extends from Olympic glory into business and sporting institution-building, has been named one of 15 Icons by Forbes Africa as the publication marks its 15th anniversary.
Featured in the magazine’s 2026 Icons list, Gebrselassie is recognised for a career that produced two Olympic gold medals, multiple world championship titles and 27 world records, as well as his subsequent investment in Ethiopia.
The recognition offers an opportunity to look beyond his achievements on the track to the institutions and running culture his legacy has helped shape, including the Great Ethiopian Run, the mass-participation event he founded in Addis Ababa in 2001.
Over the past 25 years, the Great Ethiopian Run has grown into a major fixture on Ethiopia’s sporting calendar, bringing together elite athletes, recreational runners, young people and international participants. Its 25th edition was held in November 2025.
The event has also received international recognition. World Athletics awarded the Great Ethiopian Run a Heritage Plaque in 2025, acknowledging its place in the history and development of the sport.
The race represents a different dimension of Ethiopia’s global reputation for distance running: one built around mass participation and public engagement, alongside the country’s record of producing world-class athletes.
Gebrselassie’s own career spans both dimensions. After winning Olympic gold in the 10,000 metres at Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000, he went on to establish himself as one of the defining figures of international distance running, setting world records on the track and road before turning increasingly to business and investment in Ethiopia.
His business interests, operating through Haile & Alem International, have expanded across sectors including hospitality, real estate, agriculture and manufacturing.
In its anniversary profile,Forbes Africa highlights Gebrselassie’s ambition to contribute to Africa’s economic development by investing at home and encouraging other African athletes to do the same.
His inclusion among the 15 Icons places a prominent figure from athletics alongside influential Africans from fields including business, literature and entertainment. Former Côte d’Ivoire football international Didier Drogba is also featured on the list.
For Ethiopia, Gebrselassie’s recognition provides a timely lens through which to examine how the country’s running heritage extends beyond individual sporting achievements to the events and institutions connecting the sport with wider communities.
The Great Ethiopian Run remains one of the most visible expressions of that connection, bringing Ethiopia’s running culture to a mass-participation event in its capital while attracting attention from the international running community.
