Haile Gebrselassie Retires from Competitive Running

Haile Gebrselassie, a two-time Olympic 10,000m champion, has retired from competitive running after the Great Manchester Run in Great Britain on Sunday.

What happened?

He finished 16th in the 10,000m race in Manchester, marking the end of his competitive running career. Haile Gebrselassie previously briefly retired on November 7, 2010, after dropping out of the New York City Marathon with a knee injury.

Why it matters for Haile Gebrselassie

Gebrselassie's retirement comes after a storied career, including winning the 10,000m gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, edging Kenyan Paul Tergat by .09 seconds. He also broke the marathon world record in Berlin in 2007 and 2008, holding the mark until 2011.

What comes next?

Haile Gebrselassie will continue to be involved in running, stating "I will retire as a competitive runner, not as a runner, I will never stop running and will continue to be a running ambassador." And he participated in the London Olympic Opening Ceremony as one of the Olympic Flag carriers, along with Muhammad Ali, among others. But his competitive running career has come to an end, with his last race being the Great Manchester Run. So Haile Gebrselassie's legacy will live on, with his numerous achievements in the running world. He won arguably the greatest distance race in Olympic history in Sydney 2000. Haile Gebrselassie's retirement marks the end of an era in competitive running.