Rosa Mota
Encyclopedia
Rosa Maria Correia dos Santos Mota, GCIH, GCM (ˈʁɔzɐ ˈmɔtɐ; born June 29, 1958) is a Portuguese
former marathon runner, one of her country's foremost athletes. She is also considered to have been one of the best marathon runners of the 20th century.
Born in Porto
's downtown neighbourhood of Foz Velha, 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 was not 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 medal
ist 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.
Mota ran 21 marathon races between 1982 and 1992. She averaged two marathons a year for a decade and won 14 of those races.
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 Eusébio
, Carlos Lopes
and Luís Figo
.
Rosa Mota carried the Olympic Flame
along the roads of Athens before the 2004 Summer Olympics
in Greece.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
former marathon runner, one of her country's foremost athletes. She is also considered to have been one of the best marathon runners of the 20th century.
Born in Porto
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
's downtown neighbourhood of Foz Velha, she started participating in cross-country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
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
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
; it was the first Women's Marathon ever, and also Rosa Mota's first marathon. She was not one of the favourites for gold
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
, but she easily beat Ingrid Kristiansen
Ingrid Kristiansen
Ingrid Kristiansen née Christensen , was one of the best female long distance runners in the second half of the 1980s. She finished in fourth place in the first women's Olympic marathon race, at the 1984 Summer Olympics.-Career:Kristiansen started her career quite unremarkably, running 2:30 - 2:40...
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
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in the first Women's Olympic Marathon in Los Angeles
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...
Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. Her personal best time was 2:23:29 in the 1985 Chicago Marathon
Chicago Marathon
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a major marathon held yearly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alongside the Boston, New York, London and Berlin Marathons, it is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also an IAAF Gold Label race...
.
European Champion in 1986, and World Champion in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
1987, she kept on winning with the Olympic gold medal in Seoul
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...
1988, where with 2 km left in the race, she attacked, winning by 13 seconds from Silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
ist Lisa Martin
Lisa Martin
Lisa Frances Martin is a retired female long-distance runner from Australia.At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul the 28-year-old won a silver medal in marathon, only 13 seconds behind Portuguese running star Rosa Mota. Other achievements include gold medals in marathon at the 1986 and 1990...
.
In 1990, she returned to Boston to win for a third time beating Uta Pippig
Uta Pippig
Uta Pippig is a female long-distance runner, and the first woman to win the Boston Marathon three consecutive times . She also won the Berlin Marathon three times , the New York City Marathon once , and she represented Germany in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics...
. 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
Valentina Yegorova
Valentina Mikhailovna Yegorova is a long-distance runner from Russia. She was born in Cheboksary.Yegorova competed in the women's marathon for the Unified Team at the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, Spain...
. 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
Lisbon Half Marathon
First held in 1991, the race has consistently delivered fast winning times. However, many of these times have been unratifiable for record purposes due to factors including: the course being too short , excessive tailwinds, as well as there being an excessive drop in altitude, which boosted...
1991
Despite all her success Rosa Mota was suffering from sciatica
Sciatica
Sciatica is a set of symptoms including pain that may be caused by general compression or irritation of one of five spinal nerve roots that give rise to each sciatic nerve, or by compression or irritation of the left or right or both sciatic nerves. The pain is felt in the lower back, buttock, or...
and asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
as a child, yet, in 1991, she continued winning, this time the London Marathon
London Marathon
The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
. Later that year, Mota had to abandon the Tokyo World championships
1991 World Championships in Athletics
The 3rd World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan between August 23 and September 1 and athletes from 167 countries participated in the event.The event is best-remembered for the...
and she finally considered retirement after failing to finish the 1992 London marathon.
Mota ran 21 marathon races between 1982 and 1992. She averaged two marathons a year for a decade and won 14 of those races.
Achievements
| Representing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | European Championships | Athens, Greece | 1st | Marathon | 2:36:04 |
| 1983 | Rotterdam Marathon Rotterdam Marathon The Rotterdam Marathon is an annual marathon that has been held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands since 1981. It has been held in April of every year since the third edition in 1984, and attracts many top athletes. It has also been ranked as one of the top 10 marathons in the world by Runner's World... |
Rotterdam, Netherlands | 1st | Marathon | 2:32:27 |
| World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 4th | Marathon | 2:31:50 | |
| Chicago Marathon Chicago Marathon The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a major marathon held yearly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alongside the Boston, New York, London and Berlin Marathons, it is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also an IAAF Gold Label race... |
Chicago, United States | 1st | Marathon | 2:31:12 | |
| 1984 | Olympic Games Olympic Games The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate... |
Los Angeles, United States | 3rd | Marathon | 2:26:57 |
| Chicago Marathon Chicago Marathon The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a major marathon held yearly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alongside the Boston, New York, London and Berlin Marathons, it is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also an IAAF Gold Label race... |
Chicago, United States | 1st | Marathon | 2:26:01 | |
| 1985 | Chicago Marathon Chicago Marathon The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a major marathon held yearly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alongside the Boston, New York, London and Berlin Marathons, it is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also an IAAF Gold Label race... |
Chicago, United States | 3rd | Marathon | 2:23:29 |
| 1986 | Tokyo International Women's Marathon Tokyo International Women's Marathon The Tokyo International Women's Marathon was a marathon for female elite runners held in Tokyo from 1979 until 2008 in November.It was first held in November 1979, and this race was the first women's marathon officially sanctioned by the International Amateur Athletic Federation... |
Tokyo, Japan | 1st | Marathon | 2:27:15 |
| European Championships | Stuttgart, West Germany | 1st | Marathon | 2:28:38 | |
| 1987 | Boston Marathon Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest... |
Boston Boston Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had... , United States |
1st | Marathon | 2:25:21 |
| World Championships | Rome, Italy | 1st | Marathon | 2:25:17 | |
| 1988 | Boston Marathon Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest... |
Boston Boston Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had... , United States |
1st | Marathon | 2:24:30 |
| Olympic Games Olympic Games The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate... |
Seoul, South Korea | 1st | Marathon | 2:25:40 | |
| 1989 | Osaka Marathon Osaka Marathon The is an annual marathon road race for women over the classic distance of 42.195 kilometres which is held in late January in the city of Osaka, Japan.The event is hosted by , , , , and .... |
Osaka, Japan | -- | Marathon | DNF |
| Los Angeles Marathon Los Angeles Marathon The Honda LA Marathon is an annual running event held each spring in Los Angeles, California. The 26.219 mile footrace, inspired by the success of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, has been contested every year since 1986... |
Los Angeles, United States | 2nd | Marathon | 2:35:27 | |
| 1990 | Osaka Marathon Osaka Marathon The is an annual marathon road race for women over the classic distance of 42.195 kilometres which is held in late January in the city of Osaka, Japan.The event is hosted by , , , , and .... |
Osaka, Japan | 1st | Marathon | 2:27:47 |
| Boston Marathon Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest... |
Boston Boston Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had... , United States |
1st | Marathon | 2:25:24 | |
| European Championships | Split, Yugoslavia | 1st | Marathon | 2:31:27 | |
| 1991 | London Marathon London Marathon The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,... |
London, United Kingdom | 1st | Marathon | 2:26:14 |
| World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | -- | Marathon | DNF | |
| Lisbon Half Marathon Lisbon Half Marathon First held in 1991, the race has consistently delivered fast winning times. However, many of these times have been unratifiable for record purposes due to factors including: the course being too short , excessive tailwinds, as well as there being an excessive drop in altitude, which boosted... |
Lisbon, Portugal | 1st | Half Marathon | 1:09:52 | |
| 1992 | London Marathon London Marathon The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,... |
London, United Kingdom | -- | Marathon | DNF |
After retirement
Considered an Ambassador of Sport, in 1998 she won the Abebe Bikila AwardAbebe Bikila Award
The Abebe Bikila Award is an annual prize given by the New York Road Runners club to honour individuals who have made a significant contribution to the sport of long-distance running. The first recipient of the award was Ted Corbitt, a founder of both NYRR and the Road Runners Club of America, who...
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
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, taking place in the morning before the New York City Marathon
New York City Marathon
The New York City Marathon is a major annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with 45,103 finishers in 2010...
.
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 Eusébio
Eusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...
, Carlos Lopes
Carlos Lopes
Carlos Alberto de Sousa Lopes, GCIH, is a former Portuguese long-distance athlete, winner of the marathon race at the 1984 Summer Olympics, in Los Angeles. He brought home Portugal's first ever Olympic gold medal along with a new Olympic record - 2:09.21.Born in Vildemoinhos, near Viseu, Portugal,...
and Luís Figo
Luís Figo
Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, OIH, is a Portuguese former international footballer. He played as a midfielder for Sporting CP, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Internazionale, during a career which spanned over a period of 20 years. He retired from football on 31 May 2009...
.
Rosa Mota carried the Olympic Flame
Olympic Flame
The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...
along the roads of Athens before the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Greece.