Joan Benoit Samuelson (born May 16, 1957) was an American marathon runner who won gold at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. As a result she was the first ever women's Olympic marathon champion.

Career

Born in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, USA, Benoit took to long-distance running as a means to recover from a broken leg. At Bowdoin College she excelled in athletics and then entered the 1979 Boston Marathon as an unknown. She won the race and set a new record for it. She repeated that success with victory again in 1983, despite having surgery two years earlier on her Achilles tendons.

At the 1984 Summer Olympics she won the marathon in a time of 2: 24: 52, more than a minute ahead of her rivals. The athletes behind her were Grete Waitz, Rosa Mota and Ingrid Kristiansen - all marathon legends in their own right.

Although she won the 1985 Chicago marathon, in the years straight after her Olympic victory Benoit was hampered by injuries and struggled to compete in major races.

After retirement

Since retirement from competitive running, she has written books including Running Tide and Running for Women, and has opened a running clinic. Aside from this she is a coach to women's cross-country and long-distance athletes, and is a motivational speaker and sports commentator.