Alberto Cruz (racewalker)

Last updated
Alberto Cruz
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico
IAAF World Race Walking Cup
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1993 Monterrey 20 km walk

Alberto Cruz (born 6 June 1972) is a Mexican former racewalker. He was a world junior champion and took a bronze medal at the 1993 IAAF World Race Walking Cup. Amongst his senior honours are gold medals from the Central American and Caribbean and Ibero-American Championships.

Contents

Career

Cruz was highly successful as a junior athlete. He won three straight golds at the Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics, winning his first at the age of fourteen in 1986 and his last in 1990. [1] He became world junior champion in 1988 and returned two years later to defend his title, narrowly finishing second behind Ilya Markov (who would go on to win an Olympic medal in the sport). [2] Cruz also won two consecutive gold medals at the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships (1989 and 1991). [3]

On his senior debut for Mexico, a sixteen-year-old Cruz was disqualified at the 1988 Pan American Race Walking Cup. He performed well in his subsequent outings, however, taking tenth at the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships and fourth at the 1990 Pan American Race Walking Cup, which was held on hom turf and saw a Mexican sweep of the top four with Ernesto Canto, Joel Sánchez and Carlos Mercenario. [4] [5]

He established himself regionally with a gold medal win at the 1991 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics held in Xalapa, Mexico, beating his compatriot and runner-up Víctor Sánchez by over three minutes. His finishing time of 1:27:09 hours was a championship record. [6] Another gold medal followed in the 20,000 metres track walk at the 1992 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics, bettering South American opposition in Clodomiro Moreno and Jefferson Pérez. [7]

Cruz appeared to signify a move into the global elite with a bronze medal at the 1993 IAAF World Race Walking Cup, joining countryman Daniel García on the podium in Monterrey, Mexico. [8] However, this proved to be one of the last high-profile performances of his career. He made one more international outing at the 2000 Pan American Race Walking Cup, but failed to finish the event. [4]

International competitions

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
1986 CAC Junior Championships Mexico City, Mexico1st5000 m walk22:57
1988 CAC Junior Championships Nassau, Bahamas 1st10,000 m walk46:05
World Junior Championships Sudbury, Canada1st 10,000 m walk 41:16.11
Pan American Race Walking Cup Mar de Plata, Argentina20 km walk DQ
1989 World Indoor Championships Budapest, Hungary10th5000 m walk20:18.99
Pan American Junior Championships Santa Fe, Argentina 1st10,000 m walk42:00.21
1990 CAC Junior Championships Havana, Cuba1st10,000 m walk44:11.00
World Junior Championships Plovdiv, Bulgaria2nd 10,000 m walk 39:56.49
Pan American Race Walking Cup Xalapa, Mexico4th20 km walk1:22:52
1991 Pan American Junior Championships Kingston, Jamaica 1st10,000 m walk42:38.51
CAC Championships Xalapa, Mexico1st20 km walk1:27:09 CR
1992 Ibero-American Championships Seville, Spain1st 20,000 m walk 1:25:35.9
Pan American Race Walking Cup Guatemala City, Guatemala3rd20 km walk1:28:32
1993 World Race Walking Cup Monterrey, Mexico3rd20 km walk1:24:37
2000 Pan American Race Walking Cup Poza Rica, Mexico20 km walk DQ

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niurka Montalvo</span>

Niurka Montalvo Amaro is a former Cuban and Spanish athlete who specialised in the long jump and triple jump events. Her greatest achievement came in 1999, when she became world champion with a personal best jump of 7.06 metres. She was the autonomous secretary of sport for the Autonomous government of Valencia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eder Sánchez</span> Mexican race walker

Heraclio Eder Sánchez Terán is a Mexican race walker. He has competed at the World Championships in Athletics five times and represented his country at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics. He is currently serving the Mexican Army, and has won the Mexican 'Premio Nacional del Deporte'. He holds the Mexican record for walking over 5 km and 10 km. His best for the 20 km distance is 1:18:34 hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Víctor Castillo</span> Venezuelan long jumper

Víctor Manuel Castillo Petit is a Venezuelan track and field athlete who specialises in the long jump. His personal best jump is 8.34 metres, a Venezuelan record achieved in May 2004 in Cochabamba.

Germán Silva Martínez is a Mexican former long-distance runner who specialized in the marathon. His foremost achievements were back-to-back victories at the New York City Marathon in 1994 and 1995. He represented Mexico twice at the Summer Olympics, in 1992 and 1996. He also competed at the World Championships in Athletics on two occasions. His personal best for the marathon is two hours, eight minutes, and 56 seconds.

Esther Julia "Daysi" Duporty Torres is a retired sprinter from Cuba, who competed at three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1992. She set her personal best (50.61) in the women's 400 metres event on 6 September 1994 in Madrid.

The Pan American Race Walking Cup is a biennial race walking competition for athletes representing countries from the Americas, organized by the Association of Panamerican Athletics (APA). It was established in 1984 and has featured races for senior men and women, and for junior athletes. The women competed in the 10 km road race until 1996, and then switched to the 20 km road race. In addition, there are separate team competitions. The 2001 event was held in conjunction with the South American Race Walking Cup. In 2011, the organization of the event was transferred from the Pan American Athletics Commission, a subdivision of the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO), to the newly constituted APA.

Darlenys Obregón Mulato is a Colombian track and field athlete who competes in the sprinting events, primarily the 200 metres in which she has a personal best of 23.09 seconds. She represented her country at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics and is a three-time participant in the World Championships in Athletics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">José Peña (steeplechaser)</span> Venezuelan track and field athlete (born 1987)

José Gregorio Peña Trejo is a Venezuelan track and field athlete who specialises in the 3000 metres steeplechase. His personal best for the event is 8:20.87 minutes

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrés Chocho</span> Ecuadorian race walker

Cristian Andrés Chocho León is an Ecuadorian race walker who competes in both the 20 km and 50 km walk events. He is the South American record holder in the 50 km and 20,000 metres walking events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niusha Mancilla</span> Bolivia Athlet

Niusha Carmen Mancilla Heredia is a Bolivian former middle and long-distance runner. She holds the Bolivian records from 800 metres up to the 15 km road distance, as well as for the 3000 metres steeplechase.

Enrique Vera Ibáñez is a Mexican and Swedish former race walking athlete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siv Gustavsson</span> Swedish racewalker

Siv Gustavsson is a Swedish former racewalking athlete. She was the gold medallist at the 1981 IAAF World Race Walking Cup, making her the second ever female world champion in the sport.

Inaldo Justino de Sena is a Brazilian former male track and field sprinter who specialised in the 400 metres. He represented his country at the World Championships in Athletics in 1995 and took a bronze medal at the 1994 IAAF World Cup. He won two gold and four silver medals at the Ibero-American Championships in Athletics during his career.

Pedro Daniel Gómez is a Mexican racewalking athlete. He holds a personal best of 1:20:05 hours for the 20 kilometres race walk, set in 2016. He represented his country at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He also competed at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics and is a three-time participant at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">María Reyes Sobrino</span> Spanish racewalker

María Reyes Sobrino Jiménez is a Spanish former racewalking athlete who competed mainly in the 3000 metres race walk and 10 kilometres race walk. Her greatest achievement was a gold medal at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in 1988. She was a five-time participant at the IAAF World Racewalking Cup and twice a World Championships in Athletics competitor.

Alejandra Ortega is a female racewalker from Mexico. She competed in the Women's 20 kilometres walk event at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China, where she finished 9th and at the 2015 Pan American Games where she finished 8th. She competed in the 2016 Olympics, finishing 41st.

Rubén Camino is a retired Cuban pole vaulter.

Jorge Segura is a Mexican male former racewalker. He was the gold medallist at the 1994 World Junior Championships in Athletics. He also won senior gold medals in the 20,000 metres track walk at the 1996 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics and the 20 kilometres race walk at the 1995 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics. He was a four-time participant at the Pan American Race Walking Cup. Segura retired from the sport after 2009.

Francisco Soria is a retired Cuban hammer thrower.

Mercedes Álvarez is a retired Cuban sprinter who specialized in the 400 metres.

References

  1. Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics (Men) Archived 2010-12-26 at the Wayback Machine . GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-02-27.
  2. World Junior Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-02-27.
  3. Pan American Junior Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-02-27.
  4. 1 2 Aguilera, Rubén. Historia de las Copas Panamericanas de Marcha Atlética 1984-2007 Archived March 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish). Association of Panamerican Athletics, pg. 122. Retrieved on 2016-02-27.
  5. Alberto Cruz. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-02-27.
  6. Central American and Caribbean Championships (Men). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-02-27.
  7. Ibero-American Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-02-27.
  8. World and Continental Race Walking Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-02-27.