TORONTO: Double Olympic champion Miruts Yifter of Ethiopia has died at the age of 72, the International Association of Athletics Federations said on its website (www.iaaf.org) on Friday.
Yifter, who had been suffering from respiratory problems, died here where he had lived since 1998.
His 5,000 and 10,000 metres double at the 1980 Moscow Olympics inspired a generation of runners, most notably Haile Gebrselassie who turned Ethiopia into a distance-running powerhouse second only to Kenya.
He earned his nickname of ‘Yifter the Shifter’ when he claimed 10,000 gold in Russia with an electrifying burst of speed over the final 300 metres.
Five days later, he won the 5,000 in similar style, ghosting through on the inside with 250 metres left and sprinting clear after Mohammed Kadir stepped aside to create a passage for his countryman.