| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's Athletics | ||
Representing  Puerto Rico | ||
| Central American and Caribbean Games | ||
 | 1982 Havana | 1500 m |
| 1986 Santiago | 1500 m |
 | 1986 Santiago | 4x400m relay |
| CAC Junior Championships (U20) | ||
| 1976 Xalapa | 4x100 m relay |
| 1976 Xalapa | 4x400 m relay |
Angelita Lind Soliveras a.k.a. "The Angel of Puerto Rico" (born January 13, 1959) is a Puerto Rican track and field athlete.
Lind was born in the barrio Marin Bajo of Patillas, Puerto Rico into a poor family. She received her primary and secondary education in her hometown. Lind first participated in track and field events in the 7th grade and later continued participating for her high school. However, it wasn't until she became a student at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico that she was asked by the Puerto Rican Olympic Committee to represent Puerto Rico in international sports events. [1] [2]
Lind has represented the island and participated in three Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) and won two gold medals, three silver medals and one bronze medal. She also participated in three Pan American Games and in the 1984 Olympics celebrated in Los Angeles, California. [1] [2]
In the CAC of 1982, celebrated in Havana, Cuba, Lind was the standard carrier of the Puerto Rican flag. In those games, she won a gold medal in the 1,500 meter dash with a record time of 4:25.88 and a silver in the 800 meters dash in a controversial race in 2:04.24. In that race, she crossed the finish line with two Cuban runners next to her. Right at the finish line the two Cuban girls ran into each other and they both knocked Angelita down. Lind's feet were crossing the finish line, but because the Cuban fell into Angelita from behind, it was the Cuban who actually crossed the finish line first; after a prolonged discussion which reached the central offices of the International Athletic Federation, it was decided that Lind arrived second. They based their decision on a rule of track and field which states that the first torso across the finish line wins. [1] [2]
By this time there had been a lot of trouble between the Government of Puerto Rico, headed by pro-US statehood governor Carlos Romero Barceló, (who withheld economic support from the athletic delegation headed to Cuba), and the Puerto Rican Olympic Committee, presided by German Rieckehoff, which had to appeal directly to the people for donations. Lind's "fall" united the people of Puerto Rico and for the first time, they forgot about the fight between the Olympic Committee and the government and concentrated on the sport - these events also served to inspire future runners. [1] [2]
Angelita Lind officially retired in 1992, however on July, 2003 at age 44, she returned to participate in the 1,500 dash in the World Masters Athletics championships, which were celebrated in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She continues to hold the national record for the 800 meters dash and the 1,500 meters dash. [1] [2]
She earned her master's degree from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico and is currently a professor of physical education. Lind also serves as assistant athletic director in the department of physical education at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico campus in San German, Puerto Rico. In 2004, she was inducted into the "Puerto Rican Sports Hall of Fame". [1] [2]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Puerto Rico | |||||
| 1976 | Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships (U-20) | Xalapa, México | 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 49.72 A |
| 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:57.38 A | |||
| 1988 | Ibero-American Championships | Ciudad de México, México | 7th | 1500m | 5:15.68 A |
| 4th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:40.74 A | |||
Sports in Puerto Rico can be traced from the ceremonial competitions amongst the pre-Columbian Native Americans of the Arawak (Taíno) tribes who inhabited the island to the modern era in which sports activities consist of an organized physical activity or skill carried out with a recreational purpose for competition. One of the sports which the Taíno's played was a ball game called "Batey". The "Batey" was played in U-shaped fields two teams; however, unlike the ball games of the modern era, the winners were treated like heroes and the losers were sacrificed.
Dr. Rebekah Colberg Cabrera, was a Puerto Rican athlete, who was known as "The Mother of Women's Sports in Puerto Rico". Colberg participated in various athletic competitions in the 1938 Central American and Caribbean Games celebrated in Panama where she won the gold medals in Discus and Javelin throw.
Germán Rieckehoff Sampayo was a Puerto Rican nationalist of German descent, who served as president of the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee.
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Jasmine Camacho-Quinn is a Puerto Rican track and field athlete who specializes in the 100 metres hurdles. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she became the first Puerto Rican of Afro-Latino descent and the second person representing Puerto Rico to win a gold medal. In the semi-finals, Camacho-Quinn set her personal best and Olympic record of 12.26 seconds, which is tied for the fifth fastest time in history. She won bronze at the 2022 World Athletics Championships.
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