Who was the first Olympic women's marathon champion?

Who was the first Olympic women’s marathon champion? The answer is Joan Benoit of the United States.

Benoit won the inaugural Olympic women’s marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles Games in 2:24:52. She made an aggressive move early in the race and held her lead to the finish, beating Norway’s Grete Waitz by 1 minute 26 seconds. Portugal’s Rosa Mota took bronze.

The race was historic because the women’s marathon had not previously been included in the Olympic program. Its addition reflected the growing recognition of women’s long-distance running, although women had already been competing successfully in major road races such as Boston and New York.

Benoit’s victory was particularly remarkable because she had undergone knee surgery only 17 days before the U.S. Olympic marathon trials. She recovered in time to win those trials, then became the first Olympic champion in the event. She later competed under the name Joan Benoit Samuelson.