I believe that the first African to ever win a gold medal in the Olympics was Abebe Bikila who ran the marathon in the Rome Olympics in 1960. He ran the entire race barefoot and still won. Now that's amazing!
the real answer is that John Baxter Taylor jr. is the first AFRICAN AMERICAN gold medalist, in 1904
There are several answers to this question depending on what the specific question is: Alice Coachman made history when she became the first black woman and also the first African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal at the 1948 Games. The first woman competing for an African country to win an Olypmic gold medal was South African Esther Brand who won the women's high jump in 1952, though she was a white South African. The first black true African woman to win an Olympic gold medal would have been one of the members of Zimbabwe's women's hockey team who won gold in the 1980 Olympics. The first black true African woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal was Derartu Tulu winning gold for Ethiopia in the women's 10,000m in 1992.
That was Reggie Walker of South Africa (born in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal) who won the 100 meter dash at the 1908 Games in London
1948 Summer Games in London. She won gold in high jump and became the first African-American woman, and the first black woman of any nationality, to win an Olympic gold medal.
I don't know that history has recorded the first woman to compete in the Olympics. History has recorded that the first woman to win a gold medal was Charlotte Cooper of Great Britain who won gold in ladies singles tennis in the 1900 Olympics in Paris. The 1900 Olympics were the second Olympics of the modern era and the first that women were allowed to compete in. Women were not allowed to compete in the first modern Olympics held in Greece in 1896.
Vonetta Flowers in women's twos bobsleigh at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
First place in the Olympics? Gold
Venus Williams
Wilma Rudolph in 1960.
Wilma Rudolph.
History is made everyday. In 1908 John Baxter Taylor was the first African American to earn a gold medal in the Olympics.
1948 Summer Games in London. She won gold in high jump and became the first African-American woman, and the first black woman of any nationality, to win an Olympic gold medal.
Althea Gibson.
Vonetta Flowers was the first African American to win gold in the Winter Olympics when she teamed with Jill Bakken to win the two-woman bobsled event at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
hillary
The best gymnast in the world is currently Gabrielle Douglas, a member of the US Gymnastics Team at the 2012 London Olympics. She took the individual gold. She is also the first woman of color and African-American to win individual gold in the Olympics.
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.
I don't know that history has recorded the first woman to compete in the Olympics. History has recorded that the first woman to win a gold medal was Charlotte Cooper of Great Britain who won gold in ladies singles tennis in the 1900 Olympics in Paris. The 1900 Olympics were the second Olympics of the modern era and the first that women were allowed to compete in. Women were not allowed to compete in the first modern Olympics held in Greece in 1896.
Reggie Walker.
Vonetta Flowers in women's twos bobsleigh at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.