( CNN ) -- The diminutive Derartu Tulu -- she stands only 1.56 meters ( 5 feet 2 inches ) tall -- is one of , if not the greatest-ever female runners , the only woman ever to have won a long-distance gold at two separate Olympics . Two Olympic 10,000-meter victories have made Tulu an Ethiopian icon . Born , like so many great athletes , in the highlands of Ethiopia , a member of the Oromo tribe , she grew up tending cattle on the family farm , and was not even aware that she was an especially fast runner until she started taking part in athletics competitions in her teens . She won the World Junior 10,000 meters title in 1990 , and at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo , won her semifinal heat in an Ethiopian national record of 31 minutes 45.95 seconds . In the final , however , she came a disappointing eighth , leading many pundits to dismiss her chances of success at the following year 's Barcelona Olympics . They could n't have been more wrong . In one of the most thrilling 10,000-meter races of all time Tulu overtook South Africa 's Elana Meyer just before the bell , running the final lap in 64 seconds to win by 30 meters , in the process becoming the first ever black African woman to win Olympic gold . The race over , she waited at the line for Meyer , a white south African , the two women embracing before joining hands and setting off on an emotional lap of honor together draped in their respective national flags , a gesture that seemed to symbolize hope for a new Africa . Defending her title four years later in Atlanta she could only manage fourth place . Triumphant return . At the 2000 Sydney Games , however , she made a triumphant return , overtaking her compatriot Gete Wami at the bell and sprinting the final 400 meters in an astounding 60 seconds to win in 30 minutes 17.49 seconds , a new African and Olympic record . Her victory made her the first woman ever to win two Olympic long-distance gold medals , and cemented her place as an Ethiopian national icon alongside fellow running legend Haile Gebreselassie ( Addis Ababa city council subsequently named a school in her honor ) . In addition to her two Olympic titles Tulu has won a World Championship gold medal ( 2001 ) , three World Cross Country titles and the London Marathon ( 2000 ) . Although her mantle has , in recent years , passed to Britain 's Paul Radcliffe , her place in the pantheon of athletic greats remains assured . She has a six year-old daughter , Tsion .
Olympic record : 2 gold medals . Only woman to have won a long-distance gold at two separate Olympics . The first ever black African woman to win Olympic gold . Runner ; born March 21 , 1972 , in Bekoji , Ethiopia .