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Fatuma Roba Biography

A Fan Of Abebe Bikila, Chronology, Awards And Accomplishments, Further Information



1973-

Ethiopian marathon runner

The first African woman to ever win an Olympic marathon, Fatuma Roba walked away with the gold in 2000 after crossing the marathon finish line in Olympic Stadium in 2:26.05 and beating silver medalist Valentina Yegorova of Russia by two minutes. A native of Ethiopia, Roba made similar history in her first attempt at the historic Boston Marathon in 1997, becoming



Fatuma Roba

the first African woman to win the race. Victories in the next two Boston Marathons made her the first woman to win that great race in three successive years.

Sketch by Pamela L. Shelton

Additional topics

Famous Sports StarsMarathons