"[2] She gave up the longer distance for the following year, but with 25 days to go until the 1995 World Championships in Athletics, it was suggested that she should compete since Ethiopia was not sending anyone else.

After the victory in Rome, she was selected for the Ethiopian team at the 1996 Summer Olympics, in Atlanta, United States, and intensified her training.

[2] She later said that by the 18-kilometre (11 mi) point in the women's marathon at the Atlanta Games, she was certain she had won the race because her fellow runners were tiring although she was finding the pace comfortable.

[2] With her victory and the gold medal, Fatuma became the first woman from an African nation to win the women's marathon at an Olympic Games.

[4] The three-time Boston champion narrowly missed a fourth straight title in 2000, coming in third in the closest finish in race history.