Family of Olympic gold medalist who ran marathon barefoot is suing shoe company over use of his name

(Feb 10, 2015, (Daily Mail))--The family of an Ethiopian runner who famously won an Olympic marathon barefoot is suing Vibram, the maker of a popular line of minimalist running shoes, saying it used his name without permission. Abebe Bikila, who died in 1973, was a last-minute entrant in the 1960 Olympics in Rome and didn't like the fit of the shoes he'd been provided.

Abebe Bikila was known for running marathons barefoot, including his victory in the 1960 Olympics.

Running barefoot over the cobbled streets, he shattered the existing Olympic record, finishing in just over two hours, 15 minutes. Vibram named some models of its Five Fingers foot-glove style running shoes after him, and even trademarked the name 'Bikila' in 2010 as barefoot or nearly barefoot running became more popular in the United States. Read more from Daily Mail »

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