Joan Benoit
Benoit in 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Joan Benoit Samuelson | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | May 16, 1957 Cape Elizabeth, Maine, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 2 in (157 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 100 lb (45 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse |
Scott Samuelson (m. 1984) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | USA | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | 3000 m, Marathon | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Bowdoin, North Carolina State | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Athletics West | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Bob Sevene | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympic finals | 1984 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Joan Benoit Samuelson, née Joan Benoit, (May 16, 1957) is an American marathon runner who was the first women's Olympic Games marathon champion, winning the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She held the fastest time for an American woman at the Chicago Marathon for 32 years after winning the race in 1985. Her time at the Boston Marathon was the fastest time by an American woman in that race for 28 years. She was inducted into the Maine Women's Hall of Fame in 2000.