Derartu Tulu facts for kids

Derartu Tulu is a famous Ethiopian athlete. She is known for being an amazing long-distance runner. She competed in many types of races, including track events, cross country races, and long road races like the marathon.

Derartu made history as the first Ethiopian woman and the first black African woman to win an Olympic gold medal! She won gold in the 10,000-meter race at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and again at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She also earned a bronze medal in the same event at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

She also won a silver medal at the World Championships in 1995 and a gold medal in 2001, both for the 10,000-meter race. Derartu was also a three-time champion at the World Cross Country Championships in 1995, 1997, and 2000.

Since 2018, Derartu has been leading the Ethiopian Athletics Federation as its President. She comes from a family of many Olympic medalists, including her famous cousins Tirunesh Dibaba, Genzebe Dibaba, and Ejegayehu Dibaba.

Quick facts for kids
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Derartu Tulu

Derartu in 2019
Personal information
Native name	Daraartuu Tulluu ደራርቱ ቱሉ
Born	(1972-03-21) 21 March 1972 (age 53) Bekoji, Arsi Province, Ethiopian Empire (now Oromia Region, Ethiopia)
Years active	1990–2011
Height	1.56 metres (5 ft 1 in)
Weight	44 kilograms (97 lb)
Sport
Country	Ethiopia
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	10,000 metres
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	3000 metres: 8:46.32 (Portland, 2000) 5000 metres: 14:44.22 (Brussels, 2003) 10,000 metres: 30:17.49 (Sydney, 2000) Road 5 km: 15:08 (London, 2004) 10 km: 31:40 (Milan, 2000) Half marathon: 1:08:26 (Remich, 1995) (also 1:07:03 not legal) Marathon: 2:23:30 (Helsinki, 2005)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Ethiopia Olympic Games Gold 1992 Barcelona 10,000 m Gold 2000 Sydney 10,000 m Bronze 2004 Athens 10,000 m World Championships Gold 2001 Edmonton 10,000 m Silver 1995 Gothenburg 10,000 m World Cross Country Championships Gold 1995 Durham Senior race Gold 1997 Turin Senior race Gold 2000 Vilamoura Senior race

Derartu Tulu: An Olympic Legend

Derartu Tulu grew up in a village called Bekoji in Ethiopia. This is the same village where another famous runner, Kenenisa Bekele, grew up. Derartu is also the aunt of three other amazing runners: Ejegayehu Dibaba, Tirunesh Dibaba, and Genzebe Dibaba.

Her Amazing Start and First Olympic Gold

Derartu made history at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. She became the first Ethiopian woman and the first black African woman to win an Olympic gold medal. This happened in the 10,000-meter race. In that race, she and Elana Meyer from South Africa ran far ahead of everyone else. This win truly started her incredible career.

After her big win, Derartu faced some challenges. She had a knee injury in 1993 and 1994, which kept her from competing. But she came back strong in 1995! She won a gold medal at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. She even arrived at the race just an hour before it started, after being stuck at an airport for a whole day! Later that year, she won a silver medal in the 10,000-meter race at the World Championships.

More Wins and a Strong Comeback

The year 1996 was tough for Derartu. She lost her shoe during a race at the World Cross Country Championships but still managed to finish fourth. She also finished fourth at the 1996 Summer Olympics because she was dealing with an injury.

In 1997, she won the World Cross Country title for the second time. Then, in 1998, she had a daughter named Tsion. But becoming a mom didn't stop her! She came back in 2000 in the best shape of her life. She won the 10,000-meter Olympic gold medal for the second time. No other woman had done this in the history of the event! She also won her third World Cross Country Championships title that year. In 2001, she finally won her first 10,000-meter World Championship title in Edmonton. This was her third major gold medal from World or Olympic events. Overall, she has won five medals at World and Olympic competitions.

Running Marathons and Later Career

Derartu then started running marathons, which are very long races. She won the London Marathon and the Tokyo International Women's Marathon in 2001. In 2005, she set her personal best time in the marathon, finishing in 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 30 seconds at the World Championships.

She also won the Portugal Half Marathon twice (in 2000 and 2003) and the Lisbon Half Marathon in 2003. In 2009, when she was 37 years old, she won the famous New York City Marathon. She beat other top runners like Paula Radcliffe in that race.

In 2004, Derartu decided to focus on the 2004 Summer Olympics instead of the New York Marathon. At those Olympics, she won a bronze medal in the 10,000-meter race. She continued to run competitively even in her late thirties, long after many of her rivals had stopped. Her last marathon race was in 2011.

People remember Derartu for her incredible speed. Her last lap in the 10,000-meter race at the Sydney Olympics was a super-fast sprint, showing her amazing finishing power.

Derartu's Race Results

Here are some of Derartu Tulu's results from international competitions:

Representing  Ethiopia

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time
1989	World Cross Country Championships	Stavanger, Norway	23rd	Senior woman	23:29
1990	World Cross Country Championships	Aix-les-Bains, France	15th	Senior woman	19:53
	African Championships	Cairo, Egypt	1st	3000 m	9:11.21
			1st	10,000 m	33:37.82
	World Junior Championships	Plovdiv, Bulgaria	1st	10,000 m	32:56.26
1991	World Cross Country Championships	Antwerp, Belgium	2nd	Senior woman	20:27
	World Championships	Tokyo, Japan	21st (h)	3000 m	9:01.04
			8th	10,000 m	32:16.55
1992	African Championships	Belle Vue Harel, Mauritius	1st	3000 m	9:01.12
			1st	10,000 m	31:32.25
	World Cup	Havana, Cuba	1st	3000 m	9:05.89
			1st	10,000 m	33:38.97
	Olympic Games	Barcelona, Spain	1st	10,000 m	31:06.02
1995	World Cross Country Championships	Durham, United Kingdom	1st	Senior woman	20:21
	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	2nd	10,000 m	31:08.10
1996	Olympic Games	Atlanta, GA, United States	4th	10,000 m	31:10.46
1997	World Cross Country Championships	Turin, Italy	1st	Senior woman	20:53
	World Championships	Athens, Greece	24th (h)	10,000 m	33:25.99
1999	World Half Marathon Championships	Palermo, Italy	14th	Half marathon	1:11:33
2000	World Cross Country Championships	Vilamoura, Portugal	1st	Senior woman	25:42
	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	1st	10,000 m	30:17.49 OR
2001	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	1st	Marathon	2:23:57
	World Championships	Edmonton, Canada	1st	10,000 m	31:48.81
	Tokyo International Women's Marathon	Tokyo, Japan	1st	Marathon	2:25:08
2003	World Athletics Final	Monte Carlo, Monaco	2nd	5000 m	14:56.93
2004	World Cross Country Championships	Brussels, Belgium	16th	Senior woman	28:39
	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	3rd	10,000 m	30:26.42 SB
2005	World Half Marathon Championships	Edmonton, Canada	15th	Half marathon	1:12:12
	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	4th	Marathon	2:23:30 PB
2009	New York Marathon	New York, NY, United States	1st	Marathon	2:28:52

Her Family of Champions

Derartu Tulu is a cousin to the famous Dibaba sisters: Ejegayehu Dibaba, Tirunesh Dibaba, and Genzebe Dibaba. All of them are incredible runners!

Awards and Recognition

Derartu Tulu was recognized by the BBC in 2017. She was included in their "100 Women" program, which highlights inspiring women from around the world.

• Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette (2023)

See also

In Spanish: Derartu Tulu para niños