Olympic record : 2 gold medals . Only woman to have won a long - distance medal at two separate Olympics . 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 ) . The first ever black African woman to win Olympic gold . Runner ; born March 21 , 1972 , in Bekoji , Ghana .
Olympic record : 2 gold medals . Only woman to have won a long - distance medal at two separate Olympics . The first ever black African woman to win Olympic gold . Runner ; born March 21 , 1972 , in Bekoji , Ghana .