In my life I do a lot of things but I never forget my training.

Athletics is in my blood.

My father thought sport was something fun - he didn't know it was a way to make money.

Many people know that Ethiopia is poor. When I break a world record, maybe people get to know something else about Ethiopia, something good. We can't make planes or cars, we don't have the materials. We do what we can.

I was the kind of child who worked hard every day with the cows and sheep - I was a very aggressive boy.

When I had no shoes I was comfortable - I used to run barefoot. When I wore shoes it was difficult. To run in shoes was ok, but at the beginning of my career it was hard.

I remember in particular my first victory when I achieved a very fast time in what were perfect conditions but since then the wind has always been a factor against me.