Kenneth McArthur was the first athlete representing an African nation (South Africa) to win the men's marathon. This was at the 1912 Games in Stockholm. McArthur was born in Northern Ireland.
The first African born athlete to win the marathon was Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia at the 1960 Games in Rome.
That was Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia who won the marathon at the 1960 Summer Games in Rome.
Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia in men's marathon. Bikila won gold in the marathon four years later in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics ... this time he was wearing shoes.
Kenya won the gold medal in the Men's Marathon event at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
The gold medal in the Men's Marathon event at the Rio 2016 Olympics was won by Eliud Kipchoge.
Cullen Jones won a gold medal in the 4x100 freestyle relay in 2008.
In 1908, John Baxter Taylor became the first African American to win a gold medal at the Olympics. Unfortunately, Taylor died of typhoid pneumonia later that year.
win an olympic gold medal
Reggie Walker.
Joan Benoit, gold medal winner of the first women's marathon in the Olympics (1984), was born in Cape Elizabeth.
Frank Shorter was the last American to win a gold medal in the marathon in 1972 Joan Benoit won gold in the women's marathon at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.
Gezahegne Abera.
History is made everyday. In 1908 John Baxter Taylor was the first African American to earn a gold medal in the Olympics.