Fatuma Roba Biography - A Fan Of Abebe Bikila, Chronology, Awards And Accomplishments, Further Information
marathon woman win olympic
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
Born in 1973 and raised in the village of Cokeji in Ethiopia's mountainous southern region—also home to internationally known 10K champion Derartu Tulu—Roba was one of seven children born to a farming couple who raised and herded cattle. Like most children growing up in rural Africa, if she wanted to go somewhere, the quickest way to get there was to run. The daily run to and …
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over 2 years ago
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