Derartu Tulu (Ethiopia)
Known as the first African, black female athlete to win an Olympic title, Tulu was born in the village of Bekoji, in the Arsi region of central Ethiopia in 1969. She is known to be one of the legendary African runners specializing in long-distance running – road running, marathon distance, cross country running. In 1992, Tulu won the women’s 10,000 meters race in the Barcelona Olympics. She was also the first athlete to win two Olympic titles over the distance of 10,000m when she won the race in the Olympic games of Sydney in 2000. Tulu also won the world title of 10,000m in Edmonton in 2001.
