Medal record

Rosa Mota
Women's Athletics
Competitor for

Portugal

Olympic Games
Gold

1988 Seoul

Marathon

Bronze

1984 Los Angeles

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

Worlds European Chicago Marathon

1982
1983

Gold
4th

1st

1984 Bronze

1st

1985

3rd (2h 23min 29sec)

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.

Personal Bests: 3000 - 8.53.84 (1984); Mar - 2.23.29 (1985).

Results
Games

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

Women's 3,000 metres

Games

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