Lifestyle
Tributes pour in for “Ethiopia’s maker of giants”
Since news of his death broke early on Monday, heartfelt tributes and fond remembrances having been streaming in for Woldemeskel Kostre, the man who is credited with turning Ethiopian distance running into the powerhouse it is today.
Ethiopia since the mid-1980s has come to dominate long distance running at Olympics and other international sporting events. Much of that has been down to the efforts and genius of one man, Dr Woldemeskel Kostre, who passed away on Monday in Ethiopia, aged 69. Famed for his “tough but affair” approach to coaching athletes, Kostre seemed to transform his charges into world-beaters by sheer force of will.
The fruits of his tactics speak for themselves. Every “big name” in Ethiopian long distance running passed through his hands, including legends like Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele, Tirunesh Dibaba and Derartu Tulu. The exploits of the champions he coached helped put Ethiopia on the map and the country has been united in mourning since his passing.
Much love and respect for the late great coach Woldemeskel Kostre. Forever remembered. #Ethiopia #athletics pic.twitter.com/AKmQAr7pIB
— Ethiopian Embassy UK | #EthiopiaInUK 🇪🇹🇬🇧 (@EthioEmbassyUK) May 18, 2016
A great loss 🙁 Dr. Woldemeskel was the architect of Ethiopian athletics who put us on the map in a good way. RIP. https://t.co/JjOSM1YlHH
— Fassika Fikre (@fassikafikre) May 17, 2016
RIP Dr. Woldemeskel Kostre, maker of the giants and pride of a nation. pic.twitter.com/1rUJaD4QRk
— Henok M. Kassa (ሄኖክ) (@Leoh_mk) May 17, 2016
Tough but fair
Kostre was part of Ethiopia’s long distance running program for 35 years, 25 of those as head coach. He molded his athletes to go toe-to-toe with the world’s best, all the while building a reputation as a strict disciplinarian. Naturally, his “tough” style has been the subject of remembrances with Gebrselassie, perhaps his most famous student, telling IAAF that he benefitted from it.
“Dr Kostre was a very strict man but he showed me how to behave. He gave discipline a top priority. It very sad he has now left us.”
Sad news for #Ethiopian athletics… "Dr Kostre was a very strict man but he showed me how to behave" -Haile https://t.co/KhzA52Q79B
— Ethiopic Running (@EthiopicRunning) May 18, 2016
Left a mark
Maker of giants: Dr Woldemeskel Kostre molded Ethiopian athletes like Haile Gebrselassie into legends. Photo: Foreign and Commonwealth Office/Flickr
Dr Kostre could have had a successful running career of his own if he hadn’t decided to forego running to pursue sports science studies in Hungary in the 1960s. As a result of his stay in Hungary over that period, he spoke fluent Hungarian. This always came in handy when the central European nation hosted athletic events such as in 2006 when it played host to the IAAF World Road Running Championships.
Dr Woldemeskel Kostre truly left a mark on the world. He has the eternal gratitude of a country and continent. We are all poorer for his passing.
https://twitter.com/101Ethiopia/status/732263477516107776
