Mamo Wolde breaks the tape to take the 1968 Olympic marathon gold medal (© Getty Images)
Ethiopia's 1968 Olympic marathon champion Mamo Wolde died on Sunday after a long illness, Ethiopian state television has confirmed.
Wolde, a former army captain, was 69 years old. He became a sporting hero in Ethiopia after winning the marathon gold at the 1968 Mexico Olympics and the bronze at the 1972 Munich Games.
He spent most of the past nine years in jail, accused of taking part in the murder of a 15-year-old boy during the regime of Marxist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, but always maintained his innocence.
Wolde was found guilty of the crime in January and sentenced to six years in prison, but was released because he had already spent nine years behind bars.
Returning to his wife and three children in Addis Ababa, Wolde, who suffered from lack of hearing, bronchitis, bad eyesight and liver pain, beamed with delight and said he accepted the court's verdict with grace, even though he was not the one who killed the boy.
"Thank God, I am free at last," he said. "I bear no malice towards anyone."
