Haile Gebrselassie for President?

Double Olympic gold medallist Haile Gebrselassie is pondering a future run for the Ethiopian presidency, according this article in the U.K.’s Telegraph. With his 27 world records, the 40-year-old is already a superstar in his country, but Gebrselassie’s ambitions rise beyond athletics. “One of my profits, my achievements,” he said in the article, “is to be recognized in a good way by these people.” When asked about a run for Ethiopia’s top job, he replied, “Who knows”? That’s a future plan.”

The former marathon world record holder has been hinting for years about a future in politics, but it won’t be an easy task to lead a country where the 547-seat parliament houses only one opposition member. When Gebrselassie abruptly announced his retirement in 2010 (which he later reversed), there was speculation that politics played a role. Last May, he faced criminal charges related to his failure to change door locks on one of the buildings he owns in Ethiopia. For now, though, the masters runner is still in full training mode.

Canadian Running witnessed Gebrselassie’s magnetic personality first-hand a few years ago during an Adidas event in California. While the other top athletes at the event were businesslike and reserved, Gebrselassie joked around with reporters as he ramped up a treadmill run to a 4-minute-per-mile pace just for fun.