| Olympic Games/World Champs | Gold | Silver | Bronze | ||||||
| 2022 Women Marathon | Gotytom Gebreslase |  ETH | 2:18:11 | Judith Korir |  KEN | 2:18:20 | Lonah Chemtai Salpeter |  ISR | 2:20:18 |
| Olympic 2020 Women Marathon | |||||||||
| 2019 Women Marathon | Ruth Chepngetich | KEN | 2:32:43 | Rose Chelimo |  BRN | 2:33:46 | Helalia Johannes |  NAM | 2:34:15 |
| 2017 Women Marathon | Rose Chelimo | BRN | 2:27:11 | Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat | KEN | 2:27:18 | Amy Cragg |  USA | 2:27:18 |
| Olympic 2016 Women Marathon | Jemima Jelagat Sumgong | KEN | 2:24:04 | Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa | BRN | 2:24:13 | Mare Dibaba | ETH | 2:24:30 |
| 2015 Women Marathon | Mare Dibaba | ETH | 2:27:35 | Helah Kiprop | KEN | 2:27:36 | Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa | BRN | 2:27:39 |
| 2013 Women Marathon | Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat | KEN | 2:25:44 | Valeria Straneo |  ITA | 2:25:58 | Kayoko Fukushi |  JPN | 2:25:44 |
| Olympic 2012 Women Marathon | Tiki Gelana | ETH | 2:23:07 | Priscah Jeptoo | KEN | 2:23:12 | Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova |  RUS | 2:23:29 |
| 2011 Women Marathon | Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat | KEN | 2:28:43 | Priscah Jeptoo | KEN | 2:29:00 | Sharon Jemutai Cherop | KEN | 2:29:14 |
| 2009 Women Marathon | Xue Bai |  CHN | 2:25:15 | Yoshimi Ozaki | JPN | 2:25:25 | Aselefech Mergia | ETH | 2:25:32 |
| Olympic 2008 Women Marathon | Constantina Tomescu |  ROU | 2:26:44 | Catherine Ndereba | KEN | 2:27:06 | Chunxiu Zhou | CHN | 2:27:07 |
| 2007 Women Marathon | Catherine Ndereba | KEN | 2:30:37 | Chunxiu Zhou | CHN | 2:30:45 | Reiko Tosa | JPN | 2:30:55 |
| 2005 Women Marathon | Paula Radcliffe |  GBR | 2:20:57 | Catherine Ndereba | KEN | 2:22:01 | Constantina Tomescu | ROU | 2:23:19 |
| Olympic 2004 Women Marathon | Mizuki Noguchi | JPN | 2:26:20 | Catherine Ndereba | KEN | 2:26:32 | Deena Kastor | USA | 2:27:20 |
| 2003 Women Marathon | Catherine Ndereba | KEN | 2:23:55 | Mizuki Noguchi | JPN | 2:24:14 | Masako Chiba | JPN | 2:25:09 |
| 2001 Women Marathon | Lidia Simon | ROU | 2:26:01 | Reiko Tosa | JPN | 2:26:06 | Svetlana Zakharova | RUS | 2:26:18 |
| Olympic 2000 Women Marathon | Naoko Takahashi | JPN | 2:23:14 | Lidia Slavuteanu-Simon | ROU | 2:23:22 | Joyce Chepchumba | KEN | 2:24:45 |
| 1999 Women Marathon | Song-Ok Jong |  PRK | 2:26:59 | Ari Ichihashi | JPN | 2:27:02 | Lidia Slavuteanu-Simon | ROU | 2:27:41 |
| 1997 Women Marathon | Hiromi Suzuki | JPN | 2:29:48 | Maria Manuela Machado |  POR | 2:31:12 | Lidia Slavuteanu-Simon | ROU | 2:31:55 |
| Olympic 1996 Women Marathon | Fatuma Roba | ETH | 2:26:06 | Valentina Yegorova | RUS | 2:28:05 | Yuko Arimori | JPN | 2:28:39 |
| 1995 Women Marathon | Maria Manuela Machado | POR | 2:25:39 | Anuta Catuna | ROU | 2:26:25 | Ornella Ferrara | ITA | 2:30:11 |
| 1993 Women Marathon | Junko Asari | JPN | 2:30:03 | Maria Manuela Machado | POR | 2:30:54 | Tomoe Abe | JPN | 2:31:01 |
| Olympic 1992 Women Marathon | Valentina Yegorova |  EUN | 2:32:41 | Yuko Arimori | JPN | 2:32:49 | Lorraine Moller |  NZL | 2:33:59 |
| 1991 Women Marathon | Wanda Panfil |  POL | 2:29:53 | Sachiko Yamashita | JPN | 2:29:57 | Katrin Dorre-Heinig |  GER | 2:30:10 |
| Olympic 1988 Women Marathon | Rosa Mota | POR | 2:25:40 | Lisa Martin |  AUS | 2:25:53 | Kathrin Dörre |  GDR | 2:26:21 |
| 1987 Women Marathon | Rosa Mota | POR | 2:25:17 | Zoya Ivanova |  URS | 2:32:38 | Jocelyn Villeton |  FRA | 2:32:53 |
| Olympic 1984 Women Marathon | Joan Benoit | USA | 2:24:52 | Grete Waitz |  NOR | 2:26:18 | Rosa Mota | POR | 2:26:57 |
| 1983 Women Marathon | Grete Waitz | NOR | 2:28:09 | Marianne Dickerson | USA | 2:31:09 | Raisa Katyukova-Smekhnova | URS | 2:31:13 |
