Who won the women's marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympics?

Who won the women’s marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympics? Joan Benoit won it.

Joan Benoit of the United States won the inaugural Olympic women’s marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. She finished in 2:24:52, defeating Norway’s Grete Waitz by 1 minute 26 seconds. Portugal’s Rosa Mota took the bronze medal.

Benoit made an audacious move early in the race, breaking away around the third mile despite the hot August conditions. She maintained her lead through the rest of the course and became the first woman to win Olympic marathon gold. The event marked a major expansion of women’s athletics at the Games.

The race was also remembered for Switzerland’s Gabriela Andersen-Schiess, who entered the stadium severely exhausted and struggled through the final lap before collapsing at the finish. She completed the race and finished 37th. Benoit later won the 1985 Chicago Marathon in 2:21:21, then an American record, reinforcing her status as one of the era’s leading distance runners.