Tegla Chepkite Loroupe (born 9 May 1973) is a Kenyan long-distance great and the first African woman to win the New York City Marathon, claiming back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995. She set the marathon world record at Rotterdam in 1998 (2:20:47) and lowered it in Berlin in 1999 (2:20:43), and also captured major victories in Rotterdam, Berlin, London, and Rome. On the track and roads she earned three consecutive World Half Marathon crowns (1997–1999) and World Championships 10,000 m bronzes in 1995 and 1999, before representing Kenya at three Olympics. Beyond competition, Loroupe leads the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation, best known for the annual Peace Race in Kapenguria that brings rival communities together through sport. She served as Chef de Mission for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team at Rio 2016 and again for Tokyo 2020, work that helped earn her Kenya’s United Nations Person of the Year honour in 2016. She remains an influential advocate for peace, women’s rights, and education through athletics.