Derartu Tulu, the Ethiopian with the shy smile who became the first black African woman to win a gold medal at the Olympics after a gripping tussle in the 10,000 meters with South Africa’s Elana Meyer, has done it again.
Eight years after she had fans in the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona on their feet as she shadowed Meyer stride for stride, she outsprinted her in the dash for the tape then embraced the South African like a dear old friend.
Arm in arm the women ran a victory lap, symbolic of the new era in South Africa and the ascendance of African women on the track.
In the final of the 10,000 meters Saturday, Meyer was there again.
But this time Tulu, now 28 and mother of a 2-year-old daughter, left the South African gasping for breath in eighth place as she outran her own resilient compatriot, Gete Wami.
Few athletes have won a second gold medal eight years after winning the first, especially in one of the most grueling races.
When the national anthem of Ethiopia filled the stadium, tears poured down Tulu’s face as she remembered how close she had come to tossing away her running career as she dedicated herself to her daughter.
“I hope my win tonight has convinced women athletes around the world that we can make a successful comeback after motherhood,” she said.
The lithe Ethiopian said motherhood had given her maturity and experience to make her a better runner.
But she refuted a Scandinavian theory that women become better athletes after motherhood.
“I don’t believe in that,” she said. “When you have a baby you gain a lot of weight. Just like everyone else I had a hard time taking it off. You have to work hard to shed the weight and train even more than before.”
She did admit, however, she has become “a more mature runner.” Now she gives a race more thought then in 1992 when she was 20 and simply stuck to Meyer’s heels, hoping she could outsprint her.
On Saturday night, Tulu ran a similar race, tucked in behind Britain’s Paula Radcliffe who acted as the locomotive for all but the last lap. At the sound of the bell Tulu burst ahead. She covered the last 400 meters in the amazing time of 62.26 seconds. Only Wami was able to maintain the pace.
Modest as always, Tulu, who is married to a track coach, attributed her success to an error in training, which prepared her for a much longer race.
“I was really training for the marathon,” she said. “Maybe that’s why I had so much stamina.”
