Rosa Mota
Rosa Mota was born in Portugal and was one of the country's greatest athletes. She is also one of the greatest marathonist of the 20th Century.
Born in Oporto'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 Athletics Championship 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 and other marathonists of international calibre to win her first long-distance race.
This success was typical of Mota's career, where Rosa usually finished well in the greatest 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 completed her career with the Olympic Gold Medal in Seoul 1988, where with 2km left in the race, she attacked, winning by 13 seconds from Silver medalist Lisa Martin.
She abandoned competitive racing at the beginning of the 90's, but still trains every day.
Considered an Ambassador of Sport, she won in 1998 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, raced in the morning before of New York's Marathon.
«A nossa Rosinha», Our little Rosa as she is sometimes called in her homeland, is probably the most popular personality of Portuguese sport alongside Eusébio, Carlos Lopes and Luís Figo.
Recently, Rosa Mota carried the Olympic Flame along the roads of Athens before the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece.
