Medal Record: Athletics Portugal Olympic Games
Medal Record: Athletics Portugal Olympic Games
Medal Record: Athletics Portugal Olympic Games
Rosa Mota
Women's Athletics
Competitor for
Portugal
Olympic Games
Gold
1988 Seoul
Marathon
Bronze
Marathon
World Championships
Gold
1987 Rome
Marathon
European Championships
Gold
1982 Athens
Marathon
Gold
1986 Stuttgart
Marathon
Gold
1990 Split
Marathon
Rosa Maria Correia dos Santos Mota, born in June 29, 1958,she is a Portuguese ex marathon runner, one of her country's principal athletes. She is also considered one of the
best marathon runners of the 20th century.
She was Born in Porto's downtown, she started participating in cross-country races while in
high-school.
In 1980 she met Pedro Pedrosa, the man that would eventually be her personal trainer for her
entire career. The European Championships of 1982 was hosted by Athens, Greece; it was the
first Women's Marathon ever, and also Rosa Mota's first marathon. She wasnt one of the
favourites for gold but she easily beat Ingrid Kristiansen to win her first marathon.
This success was typical of Rosa Mota's career, as she usually finished well in the prestigious
marathons. She was awarded the bronze medal in the first Women's Olympic Marathon in Los
Angeles Olympic Games. Her personal best time was 2:23:29 in the 1985 Chicago Marathon.
European Champion in 1986, and World Champion in Rome 1987, she kept on winning with
the Olympic Gold Medal in Seoul 1988, where with 2 km left in the race, she attacked,
winning by 13 seconds from Silver medalist Lisa Martin.
In 1990, she returned to Boston to win for a third time beating Uta Pippig. After that she
attempted to defend her European Marathon Championship in Split. She ran from the front
and had a lead of over 1.5 minutes at the half way mark, but she was caught at the 35 km
mark by Valentina Yegorova. They battled to the finish and Mota won by a slim margin of 5
seconds. As of 2006, winning a third European Championships marathon was unprecedented
for both men and women. She won the Lisbon Half Marathon 1991.
Despite all her success Rosa Mota was suffering from sciatica, and asthma as a child, yet, in
1991, she continued winning, this time the London Marathon.
Later that year, Mota had to abandon the Tokyo World championships and she finally
considered retirement after failing to finish the 1992 London marathon.
Rosa Mota ran 21 marathon races between 1982 and 1992. She averaged two marathons a
year for a decade and won 14 of those races
[edit] Performances
In all cases Rosa Mota contested the marathon.
year
Olympic
s
1982
1983
Gold
4th
1st
1984 Bronze
1st
1985
1986
1987
Boston Marathon
Gold
Gold
1st
1988 Gold
1st
1989
1990
Gold
1st
Other wins include Rotterdam (1983), Tokyo (1986), Osaka (1990) and London (1991).
After retirement
Considered an Ambassador of Sport, in 1998 she won the Abebe Bikila Award for
contributions to the development of long-distance race training. The trophy was awarded at
the end of the International Race for Friendship, sponsored by the United Nations, taking
place in the morning before the New York City Marathon.
A nossa Rosinha (English: Our little Rose) as she is sometimes called in her homeland, was
one of the most popular personalities of Portuguese sport in the late 20th century, alongside
Eusbio, Carlos Lopes and Lus Figo.
Rosa Mota carried the Olympic Flame along the roads of Athens before the 2004 Summer
Olympics in Greece.
Age City
Sport
Event
Team
NOC Finish
Medal
1984
Summer
2
6
Los
Angeles
Athleti
cs
Women's 3,000
metres
Portug
al
PO
R
AC
h3r1/2
1984
Summer
2
6
Los
Angeles
Athleti
cs
Women's
Marathon
Portug
al
PO
R
Bron
ze
1988
Summer
3
0
Seoul
Athleti
cs
Women's
Marathon
Portug
al
PO
R
Gold
Unit
Finish
Age City
Sport
Country Phase
1984
Summer
2
6
Los
Angele
s
Athleti
cs
Portug
al
Final
Standing
s
1984
Summer
2
6
Los
Angele
s
Athleti
cs
Portug
al
Round
One
Ti
me
Med
al
AC
h3r1/2
Heat
Three
DN
F
AC
Women's Marathon
Un Fini
Time
it sh
Games
Age City
Sport
Country Phase
Medal
1984
Summer
2
6
Los
Angeles
Athleti
cs
Portug
al
Final
Standings
226:57
Bron
ze
1988
Summer
3
0
Seoul
Athleti
cs
Portug
al
Final
Standings
225:40
Gold