This article is about a person whose name includes a patronymic. The article properly refers to the person by his given name, Miruts, and not as Yifter.
Miruts Yifter (Amharic and Tigrinya: ምሩፅ ይፍጠር, affectionately known as "Yifter the Shifter",[2][3] 15 May 1944 – 22 December 2016) was an Ethiopian long-distance runner and winner of two gold medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics. His date of birth is often given as 15 May 1944, though there is some uncertainty about this. His name is also sometimes spelled as Muruse Yefter.
Early life
Born in Zalambessa in northern Ethiopia, Miruts spent the early part of his youth working in different factories and as a carriage driver. His talent as a long-distance runner was noticed when he joined the Ethiopian Air Force.
Miruts was unable to participate in the 1976 Summer Olympics because his nation boycotted the event. Four years later in Moscow, Miruts made up for his disappointments by winning gold in both the 10,000 m and 5,000 m events.[4] In the final of the 10,000 m he sprinted into the lead 300 m from the finish and won by ten metres. Five days later, in the 5,000 m final, Miruts was boxed in during the last lap. But with 300 m to go, his Ethiopian teammate, Mohamed Kedir, stepped aside and Miruts again sprinted to victory. Due to his abrupt acceleration when executing his kick towards the finish, Miruts acquired the nickname "Yifter the Shifter."
At Coamo, Puerto Rico on 6 February 1977, Miruts ran a World Best for the half-marathon of 1:02:57.
At the Moscow Olympics, part of the mystery surrounding Miruts was the question of his age, which was reported to be between 33 and 42. Miruts refused to give a definitive answer, telling reporters:
"Men may steal my chickens; men may steal my sheep. But no man can steal my age."
The most common versions of his date of birth are 1 January 1938 or 15 May 1944 (see IAAF Profile).
Miruts continued competing into the early 1980s, running on Ethiopia's gold medal winning team at the 1982 and 1983 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
Death
Miruts's grave in the Holy Trinity Cathedral cemetery
Miruts died aged 72 on 22 December 2016 in Toronto, Ontario, where he had lived since 2000.[5] According to family members, he had been suffering from respiratory problems.[6]
* Events before 1906 are considered unofficial. Distances have varied as follows: 2 Miles (1899–1931) and odd numbered years since 2015, 5000 meters (1933–1939), 3 Miles 1932, (1940–1986), and 3000 meters (1987–2014) and even numbered years since 2014
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