Letitia Vriesde
Encyclopedia
Letitia Alma Vriesde is a track and field athlete from Suriname
. Her main event is the 800 m. She is the first (and as of 2010, only) sportsperson from Surinam to compete at five Olympic Games.
She started running in Suriname but after her National Olympic Committee failed to send her to the 1984 Summer Olympics
. She decided to leave the country and went to train in the Netherlands
. She gradually improved, competed in the 800 metres
at the 1988 Summer Olympics
, and broke into the highest echelons of her event in 1991, when she reached the finals of both 800 m and 1500 m at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics
in Tokyo
, finishing in fifth and ninth places respectively.
She won a silver medal at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics
in 1995 behind Ana Quirot. This was in addition to the bronze medal she had already achieved earlier that year at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics
. These medals were the first to be won by a South American female athlete in world championship competition. She also won a bronze medal at the 2001 world outdoor championships, but has never managed to reach an Olympic final. At the 1992 Summer Olympics
she set a record of sorts by recording the fastest ever non-qualifying time in an 800 m semi final. She has also won many medals at the Pan-American Games and Central American Games.
Vriesde is the most successful ever Surinamese track and field athlete and holds the South American records for 800 m, 1000 m and 1500 m (indoors and outdoors) and also for 3000 m (indoors). Her coach is Luiz de Oliveira.
She was disqualified and stripped of her gold medal after the 2003 Pan-American Games after testing positive for excessive caffeine levels. She was not banned however and went on to compete at that year's World Championships.
At the end of the 2005 season, having contested seven world championships and five Olympic Games, she declared that she would not run 800 m competitively anymore, and that she would instead focus on longer distances, including the 3000 m steeplechase.
800 m 1:56.68 (1995)
1000 m 2:32.25 (1991)
1500 m 4:05.67 (1991)
Mile 4:30.45 (1992)
3000 m 9:15.64 (1991)
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
. Her main event is the 800 m. She is the first (and as of 2010, only) sportsperson from Surinam to compete at five Olympic Games.
She started running in Suriname but after her National Olympic Committee failed to send her to the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
. She decided to leave the country and went to train in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. She gradually improved, competed in the 800 metres
Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics - Women's 800 metres
The Women's 800 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea had an entrylist of 32 competitors, with four qualifying heats and two semi-finals , before the final took off on Monday September 26, 1988.-Medalists:-Records:...
at the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
, and broke into the highest echelons of her event in 1991, when she reached the finals of both 800 m and 1500 m at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics
IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations . Originally, it was organised every four years, but this changed in 1991, and it has since been organised biennially.-History:...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, finishing in fifth and ninth places respectively.
She won a silver medal at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics
IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations . Originally, it was organised every four years, but this changed in 1991, and it has since been organised biennially.-History:...
in 1995 behind Ana Quirot. This was in addition to the bronze medal she had already achieved earlier that year at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics
IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics
The International Association of Athletics Federations World Indoor Championships were inaugurated as the World Indoor Games in 1985 in Paris, France and were subsequently renamed in 1987 as they are known today.-History:...
. These medals were the first to be won by a South American female athlete in world championship competition. She also won a bronze medal at the 2001 world outdoor championships, but has never managed to reach an Olympic final. At the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
she set a record of sorts by recording the fastest ever non-qualifying time in an 800 m semi final. She has also won many medals at the Pan-American Games and Central American Games.
Vriesde is the most successful ever Surinamese track and field athlete and holds the South American records for 800 m, 1000 m and 1500 m (indoors and outdoors) and also for 3000 m (indoors). Her coach is Luiz de Oliveira.
She was disqualified and stripped of her gold medal after the 2003 Pan-American Games after testing positive for excessive caffeine levels. She was not banned however and went on to compete at that year's World Championships.
At the end of the 2005 season, having contested seven world championships and five Olympic Games, she declared that she would not run 800 m competitively anymore, and that she would instead focus on longer distances, including the 3000 m steeplechase.
Personal bests
400 m 52.01 (1997)800 m 1:56.68 (1995)
1000 m 2:32.25 (1991)
1500 m 4:05.67 (1991)
Mile 4:30.45 (1992)
3000 m 9:15.64 (1991)
See also
- List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences
- List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games