Fatuma Roba facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Fatuma Roba

Personal information
Born	(1973-12-18) December 18, 1973 (age 51) Bekoji, Ethiopia
Medal record Women's Athletics Representing  Ethiopia Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta Marathon

Fatuma Roba (Amharic: ፋጡማ ሮባ) was born on December 18, 1973. She is a famous long-distance runner from Ethiopia. Fatuma is best known for making history at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. She was the first African woman to win a gold medal in the Olympic marathon race. She also won the tough Boston Marathon three times in a row!

Early Life and Running Dreams

Fatuma Roba grew up in Bekoji, Ethiopia. When she was young, there were no famous female long-distance runners in Ethiopia to look up to. Only male runners like Abebe Bikila were well-known.

Even though people at her school did not encourage her, Fatuma decided to run anyway. She trained with Sentayehu Eshetu, a coach who had also worked with other great athletes like Derartu Tulu.

Fatuma Roba's Running Journey

Fatuma joined her first national team in 1988. She competed in a half marathon, which is about 21 kilometers (13 miles) long. That year, she finished in the top ten at the world championships. By 1992, she had improved to sixth place.

First Marathon Challenges

After doing well in a shorter race, Fatuma decided to try a full marathon. A marathon is a very long race, about 42 kilometers (26 miles). In 1994, she ran the Paris Marathon. She finished 19th and found it very hard. She even said, "Never again!" because she had stomach problems during the race.

She took a break from marathons for a year. But then, just 25 days before the 1995 World Championships in Athletics, she was asked to compete. Ethiopia needed someone to represent them. She ran well for about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) but then felt dizzy and collapsed. She still finished the race, but her performance sent her to the hospital.

Olympic Gold and Boston Wins

Despite the difficulties, Fatuma kept training for marathons. She won her first marathon race in Marrakech in early 1996. Two months later, she won the Rome Marathon. Her personal best time improved by a whole minute between these two races.

After her win in Rome, Fatuma was chosen for the Ethiopian team for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, USA. She trained even harder. During the Olympic marathon, she felt strong and comfortable. She knew she would win by the 18-kilometer (11-mile) mark. Her victory made her the first African woman to win the Olympic marathon gold medal.

Fatuma also became famous for winning the Boston Marathon three times in a row, from 1997 to 1999. In 2000, she almost won a fourth time, finishing third in a very close race. She once said that the Olympic Marathon was the greatest, but Boston was her second favorite.

Personal Best Times

Here are Fatuma Roba's best times in different races:

• 10000m – 32:25 (2000)
• Half-marathon – 1:09:01 (2001)
• Marathon – 2:23:21 (1998)

Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Ethiopia
1990	World Junior Championships	Plovdiv, Bulgaria	16th (h)	3000m	9:26.63
1992	World Half Marathon Championships	Newcastle, United Kingdom	6th	Half marathon	1:10:28
1995	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	19th	Marathon	2:39:27
1996	Rome City Marathon	Rome, Italy	1st	Marathon	2:29:05
	Olympic Games	Atlanta, United States	1st	Marathon	2:26:05
1997	Boston Marathon	Boston, United States	1st	Marathon	2:26:23
	World Championships	Athens, Greece	—	Marathon	DNF
1998	Boston Marathon	Boston, United States	1st	Marathon	2:23:21
1999	Boston Marathon	Boston, United States	1st	Marathon	2:23:25
	World Championships	Seville, Spain	4th	Marathon	2:28:04
2000	Boston Marathon	Boston, United States	3rd	Marathon	2:26:27
	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	9th	Marathon	2:27:38
2001	World Championships	Edmonton, Canada	13th	Marathon	2:31:10
2004	Nagano Marathon	Nagano, Japan	1st	Marathon	2:28:05

See also

In Spanish: Fatuma Roba para niños