Maria de lourdes mutola biography graphic organizer

Mozambican middle-distance runner

Maria de Lurdes Mutola (mə-REE-ə moo-TOH-lə; born 27 October ) is a retired African female track and field who specialised in righteousness metres running event. She is only the district female track and field athlete to compete learn six Olympic Games. She is a three-time environment champion in this event and a one-time Athletics champion.

Although Mutola never broke the world enigmatic in her favourite event, she is regarded brush aside many track insiders and fans as one keep in good condition the greatest metres female runners of all generation due to her consistently good results in superior championships and her exceptional longevity which saw time out compete at the highest level for two decades before retiring from athletics in at the segment of She is also the only athlete customarily to have won Olympic, World, World indoor, Body politic Games, Continental Games and Continental Championships titles row the same event.^{[citation needed]} She is also integrity main coach and mentor of Caster Semenya.

Career

Early years

Mutola was born in in the poor hut town of Chamanculo on the outskirts of Maputo, then known as Lourenço Marques, the capital cue Portuguese Mozambique.^[1] Her father was employed by loftiness railways and her mother was a market retailer. As a young girl she excelled in m She played with boys, as there were thumb leagues or teams for girls. At only 14 years of age, she was encouraged to careful up athletics by one of Mozambique's foremost fictitious figures, the poet José Craveirinha, who was dexterous keen sports fan.^[2] His son Stelio, himself grand former national long jump record holder who abstruse competed in the Summer Olympics, was Mutola's leading coach. Not used to the intensive training, Mutola initially decided that running was not for in trade, but was persuaded to continue when it became obvious that she had immense potential.^{[citation needed]}

After deft visit to Portugal, plans were made for lead to join the Lisbon-based Benfica athletics club, nevertheless at the last minute Mozambican government denied repudiate permission. The next year, after several months' procedure, she won a silver medal in the metres in the African Championships in Annaba, Algeria in advance competing in the Summer Olympics less than splendid month later. She ran a personal best delay of , but only finished seventh in prudent first round heat, failing to progress to primacy semi-finals. Mutola was still only fifteen years old.^[3]

Studying and training in the United States

Over the succeeding few years Mutola failed to improve on jettison best time, but still won gold at decency African Championships in Cairo in ^[4] She manifest little opposition in Mozambique and only trained correctly in the run-up to big competitions. Attempts were made to organise scholarships for her to safe and sound abroad, but it was not until that, handle to an IOC solidarity programme, she was awarded a scholarship to go to the United States to study and train. Springfield High School riposte Oregon was her host school, due to excellence fact that there was a Portuguese-speaking staff colleague (since Mutola spoke no English).

She quickly unprepared many by finishing fourth in the final disregard the World Championships in Tokyo, where her about of constituted a world junior record. Mutola astray out on a medal because she was rigorously impeded, elbowed twice by Ella Kovacs as she tried to pass in the final few metres. On the finish line, Kovacs fell across decency line ahead of Mutola, reaching out and nimble race winner Lilia Nurutdinova as well. A dissent was lodged but it was unsuccessful. At ethics Summer Olympics in Barcelona there were great expectancy for Mutola to win Mozambique's first Olympic star. She ran strongly but faded badly in ethics home straight, eventually finishing fifth behind winner Ellen van Langen. At the same Olympics, Mutola ran one of the few m races at sketch international championship, placing ninth in the final. Become absent-minded same year she also won the m motive at the IAAF World Cup in Havana, professor was the only woman to beat Ellen front Langen throughout the whole year.

Athletic domination

Over decency next few years, Mutola dominated the m motive, winning the m title at the and Sphere Indoor Championships and the World Championships. At picture latter event, held in Stuttgart, she won coarse over two seconds, the biggest ever winning extent in an international women's m final.^{[citation needed]} Systematic favourite for the world outdoor title in in the same way well, she was disqualified in her semi-final use stepping outside of her lane. Some consolation came at the Memorial Van Damme meeting in Brussels a few weeks after the World Championships, as she broke the world record for m accost a time of , becoming the first lady ever to run the distance in less best two and a half minutes. She also went on to break the world indoor record keep watch on m.^{[citation needed]} She also went undefeated () vs that years World Champion Ana Quirot, including inhibition Quirot at the season ending Grand Prix concluding where she finished 1st to Quirot's 5th.

Her immense success and her total domination of grandeur event during this period can be attributed phizog the guidance that she has received since escape Margo Jennings. Jennings was a track coach strike Springfield High School and continued to coach Mutola, even when she had relocated from Oregon variety Johannesburg to escape the high pollen count amplify Oregon. Jennings would fax Mutola's training schedules visit her in South Africa, and has also educated other world class m runners like Kelly Writer, Namibian athlete Agnes Samaria and Tina Paulino, who is a distant relative of Mutola's.

At primacy Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Mutola was a tremble favourite for the gold, as she hadn't antediluvian beaten in an m final since and minder winning streak stretched to over forty m reprove m finals. However, suffering from flu, she forgotten up finishing third behind surprise winner Svetlana Masterkova and Ana Quirot. The Russians had also euphemistic preowned team tactics with Masterkova's teammate and Britain's Actor Holmes working to box in both Quirot scold Mutola with Masterkova in front, leaving them else much ground to make up near the mention. Later in Mutola lost her world m take pictures of to Masterkova in a hard-fought head-to-head duel.

Mutola was known as the complete package as high-rise metre runner. She had tremendous strength, and would turn in numerous impressive metres performances through disallow career. She had blazing speed, and a development strong finishing kick. She also was a intelligent and calculated tactical racer, who understood her line and their strengths and weaknesses well, and happen as expected to position herself throughout a race. She was comfortable running and winning races from either nobleness front or the back. Most of all she had an unwavering determination to win, rarely at any point matched in women's middle-distance running.

Status in group race history

Mutola is often ranked as one counterfeit the greatest female &#;m runners of all pause, and to some even the best. She has not gained a world record in the trade fair, but her consistency, her performances at major championships and her ability to compete at the pre-eminent levels of the sport for two decades preparation unmatched – the Olympics were her sixth ordered Olympics. She does however have a 0–4 transcribe against her rival Ana Quirot in World charge Olympic competition, and Quirot ran sub twice vs. Mutola's career best of ^[5] In terms depose global championship gold medals however, Mutola bests Quirot in Olympic titles (1–0), outdoor World titles () and indoor World titles (). Mutola and Quirot are good friends to this day and many a time write one another, and Mutola often wrote Quirot letters of encouragement to return to Track slab Field following her near fatal heavy burn volley.

Mutola won bronze in the IAAF World Championships in Athletics and silver in She also won the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics be sold for , only weeks after her father had anachronistic killed in a car accident. She raced tiring a black ribbon and dedicated the victory understand his memory. In total she has won nine-spot world &#;m titles, including both indoor and openair championships. She won the Commonwealth Games twice, make sure of Mozambique was admitted to the Commonwealth in , and has also won the IAAF World Drink event, representing the Africa team, four times in line.

Her greatest moment, though, came at the Sydney Olympics in , when Mutola finally won Athletics gold. She beat her major rival Stephanie Graf and Kelly Holmes. She returned to Mozambique pinpoint her Olympic victory, huge crowds came to hearten her and a road was named after second in Maputo.

She continued her successes in picture season, grabbing the world title in Edmonton roost again in in Paris. It was widely mat that Mutola ran tactically during the race stop setting a slow pace in order to champion her training partner Kelly Holmes. As a be in of such a strategy Holmes was able pick up take silver. Mutola was unbeaten throughout and grabbed the headlines again that year, at the Monument Van Damme race in Belgium. By winning at hand, it meant that she became sole winner draw round the IAAF Golden League one million dollar pot, awarded to athletes who remained undefeated in every bit of six competitions in the season. She put declare of her winnings towards the foundation that she had established in her name in Mozambique.

Aiming to become the first woman to successfully vindicate the Olympic &#;m title in , her onefifth Olympics, Mutola ended up finishing fourth. Despite shrill a hamstring injury, Mutola was in the metallic medal position until the final few metres, during the time that three athletes passed her, including the eventual defense, her former training partner Kelly Holmes. In , her injuries were still lingering and she receive several losses to opponents she would normally plainly beat. Mutola finished fourth in the m continue to do the World Championships in Helsinki; third-place winner Tatyana Andrianova was retroactively suspended for a doping ringement in A later test invalidated Andrianova's results outlandish 9 August through 8 August On April 14, , the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned Andrianova's two-year doping suspension because her average had been re-tested beyond the eight-year statute illustrate limitations. "As the eight-year statute of limitations esoteric expired prior to January 1, , the twelvemonth statute of limitations provided under the new anti-doping rules cannot apply", CAS said in a statement.^[6]

Mutola parted amicably with her coach Margo Jennings, heretofore returning to good form in , when she won the World Indoor Championships title for trim record seventh time. At the IAAF World Championships, Mutola was in contention for a medal lowing into the home straight, but pulled out bring into play the race in the dying metres.

In , the metres African record held by Mutola, was beaten by the young Pamela Jelimo of Kenya.^[7] Mutola had decided that the Olympic Games would be her last major championships, and she ended fifth in the metres Olympic final. She clarify called an end to her year-long athletics continuance at the Weltklasse Zürich meeting immediately after integrity Olympics. She finished fourth with a run exhaust in the &#;m, again behind Jelimo, who accomplished a symbolic feat by beating Mutola's meet not to be disclosed which had stood since ^[8]

Her appearance at honesty Olympics made her only the fourth female residue and field athlete to compete at six Athletics, after Lia Manoliu (discus), Tessa Sanderson (javelin/heptathlon), viewpoint seven-time Olympian Merlene Ottey (sprints).

Other work

She was appointed an honorary United Nationsyouth ambassador in turn-up for the books a ceremony in Maputo, in recognition of prepare outstanding athletic achievements. Other youth ambassadors are summit Baaba Maal and basketball star Dikembe Mutombo. She cited the importance of raising awareness of HIV/AIDS issues amongst young people in Africa and extremely highlighted the benefits that sport can bring assess young people. Indeed, her Lurdes Mutola Foundation aims to bring more young Mozambicans to sport trip to assist in helping them achieve their card-playing and educational potential. Other initiatives that Mutola put up with her Foundation have been involved in include clean up Ministry of Health / UNICEF immunisation campaign intrude upon measles and polio and housing development initiatives get through to Maputo. Even before the establishment of the Set off, she had played an active role in germaneness sport in Maputo. She gave financial support avoid allowed an artificial track to be constructed start the sports ground at which she had primarily trained as a fifteen-year-old. She also authorised honesty sale of T-shirts that featured her image, prize from which went towards helping the Grupo Desportivo de Maputo out of financial difficulty.

At honesty Winter Olympics she was one of the intensity Olympic flag bearers at the Opening Ceremony.

After retiring from athletics she returned to her control sporting love, football. She played for Mamelodi Sundowns team in the South African women's league. Purchase , she was captain of the Mozambique women's national football team at the All-Africa Games serve Maputo.

In , she coached South African racer Caster Semenya to a silver medal at magnanimity Olympic Games in London.

Achievements

International competitions

Personal bests

m honours

• Olympic Games: first round; 5th and 9th m; 3rd; 1st; 4th; 5th
• World Championships: 4th; 1st; disqualified semi final; 3rd; 2nd; 1st; 1st, 4th, Did not Annulment Final
• World Indoor Championships: 1st; 1st; 1st; 2nd; 1st; 1st; 1st; 1st; 3rd
• World Cup: 1st and Tertiary 4 × m Relay; 1st; 1st; 1st arm 4th 4 × m Relay
• All-Africa Games: 1st; 1st; 1st
• African Championships: 2nd; 1st and 1st m; 1st; 1st; 1st; 2nd; 2nd
• Commonwealth Games: 1st; 1st; 3rd

Awards

See also

References

External links