Derartu Tulu

Imagine running so fast you win a gold medal at the Olympics! That's what Derartu Tulu did. She's from Ethiopia, a country far away. Derartu didn't just win one gold medal, she won two! She ran the 10,000 meters, which is like running around a big park almost two and a half times. She was the first woman from Ethiopia and the first Black African woman to win an Olympic gold medal. Wow!

Derartu Tulu was born a long, long time ago, in 1972. She grew up in Ethiopia, where running is a really big deal. Her whole family loved to run too! Her cousins are also famous runners who have won medals. It's like having a whole family of superheroes, but instead of capes, they wear running shoes! They all learned to be super fast by practicing a lot.

Derartu was a champion at different kinds of running. She was amazing on the track, where runners race on a special path. She was also great at cross country running, which is running on grass and hills, sometimes even through forests! And she ran on roads too. She won the World Cross Country Championship three times! That's like being the best at hide-and-seek for three years in a row.

After she stopped running races, Derartu Tulu became a leader for athletics in Ethiopia. She was like the boss of all the runners and sports people in her country for six years! She helped make sure that new runners could train and have chances to become stars too. She showed everyone that you can be a great athlete and a great leader.