From Oromo Soil to Olympic History Africa’s Marathon Milestones ⸻ 1960 — Rome Olympic Games Abebe Bikila • First African Olympic gold medal • First barefoot Olympic marathon victory • Marked Africa’s entry into Olympic endurance history 1960 ⸻ 1992 — Barcelona Olympic Games Derartu Tulu • First African woman to win Olympic gold in athletics • 10,000 metres • A historic breakthrough for African women on the Olympic track 1992 ⸻ 1996 — Atlanta Olympic Games Fatuma Roba • First African woman to win