Rolando Vera (runner)

Last updated
Rolando Vera
Personal information
Full nameRolando Patricio Vera Rodas
Born (1965-04-27) April 27, 1965 (age 58)
Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador
Sport
CountryFlag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador
SportMen's athletics
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals 1988 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
Personal best(s) 5000m : 13:43.23 [1]
10,000m : 27:54.33 [1]
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador
Pan American Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1987 Indianapolis 5000 m
South American Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1986 Santiago 10,000 m
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1986 Santiago 5,000 m
South American Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1987 São Paulo 5000 m
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1989 Medellín 10,000 m
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1987 São Paulo 10,000 m
Bolivarian Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1989 Maracaibo 10,000 m
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1993 Cochabamba 10,000 m
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1989 Maracaibo 5000 m

Rolando Patricio Vera Rodas (born April 27, 1965 in Cuenca, Azuay) is a retired long-distance runner from Ecuador, who represented his native country at three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1988. He reached the top ten of the 10,000 metres at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics. He enjoyed much championship success at the regional level: he was a two-time South American Champion on the track and won gold medals at the South American Games and Bolivarian Games, as well as reaching the podium at the Ibero-American Championships and the 1987 Pan American Games.

Contents

He won road running competitions on four continents and was tenth at the 1994 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. Vera won the Saint Silvester Road Race four times consecutively in the 1980s. In 1995 he won both the Los Angeles Marathon and the Chuncheon Marathon, and he won the Beppu-Ōita Marathon two years later. At Olympic level he competed in the marathon on two occasions (1992 and 1996). He remains the Ecuadorian record holder over 20 km and the half marathon. His personal best in the marathon is 2:10:46 – a time which brought him third at the 1990 Boston Marathon.

Career

Early competition

He began his career on the track and was fourth over 5000 metres in 14:24.16 at the 1984 Pan American Junior Championships. He also took part in the 2000 m steeplechase, where he finished in sixth. [2] Taking part in the regional competition at the 1986 South American Games, he beat the field (which included continental champion Emilio Ulloa) to win in 28:53.90. [3] His first major senior medal came when he took the 10,000 metres bronze medal at the 1986 Ibero-American Championships. [4] He also won the Saint Silvester Road Race that year – a competition he won four times consecutively up to 1989. Other road victories over this period included the Cherry Creek Sneak 5 Mile in 1986, [5] the Cascade Run Off in 1987, [6] and the Bolder Boulder race in 1989. [7]

At the 1987 South American Championships in Athletics he won the 5000 m gold medal and a silver medal in the 10,000 m. Out on the road that year, he took victory at the seven-mile Falmouth Road Race. A second silver of the season at the 1987 Pan American Games (behind Bruce Bickford) preceded his global debut at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, where he finished in tenth and was the only South American athlete in the race. His time of 28:20.24 was also a record for a South American under-23 athlete.

At the 1988 Bolder Boulder he won the 10k with a time of 29:07. Rosa Mota won the women's 10k that year.

Olympic debut

Vera made his Olympic debut at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and reached the final of the 10,000 m, finishing in 15th place. [8] He topped the podium in the men's 10,000 m at the 1989 South American Championships in Athletics, winning his first continental title. He doubled up at the 1989 Bolivarian Games and won the 10,000 m as well as taking silver in the 5000 m behind Peru's José Castillo. [9] Vera ran at the Boston Marathon in April 1990 and finished in third place with a personal best time of 2:10:46. [10] A month later he competed in the inaugural Trib 10K race in San Diego and, although still tired from his efforts in Boston, he won the race in an Ecuadorian record time of 28:08 minutes. [11] [12] In 1991, he was the winner of the Philadelphia Distance Run. [13]

His third appearance on the global stage came at the 1992 Summer Olympics and he moved off the track and up to the marathon distance. He finished in 43rd place, although this was the second best performance by a South American after Brazil's Osmiro Silva. [14] He also won a bronze over 10,000 m at the 1992 Ibero-American Championships, repeating his performance of four years earlier. [4] The following year Vera retained his 10,000 m title at the 1993 Bolivarian Games. [9] In 1994, he won the Parelloop 10 km race in the Netherlands and went on to finish tenth at the 1994 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Oslo later that year – setting a national record mark of 1:01:36 for the half marathon distance. [15] On the circuit that year he also won at the Marvejols-Mende in France. [16]

Los Angeles winner

He began 1995 with a win at the San Blas Half Marathon in Puerto Rico, [17] and continued his winning ways at the Los Angeles Marathon where he ran a very tactical race, which was held in poor weather conditions. Vera's outright refusal to take his turn at the front of the leading pack (and thus bear his share of the wind and rain) angered the reigning marathon world champion Mark Plaatjes. After 20 miles, Vera tucked in behind the only remaining leader Bob Kempainen and defied Kempainen's attempts to shake him off – following his zig-zag movements across the road. Finally taking the lead in the final stages, Vera enjoyed a tailwind and won the race in 2:11:39 (twenty seconds ahead of the other runners). Kempainen later commented: "I kept trying to get him out front to take the lead, but I couldn't very well turn around and ask him to do it...I guess he ran it smart". [18]

He also went on to win at the Chuncheon Marathon that year. [19] He enjoyed success over the 20 km distance, winning at the Ogden Newspapers 20K in 1995 and the following year. [20] Vera's final Olympic appearance was at the 1996 Atlanta Games and he was ranked 22nd in the men's Olympic marathon race. [8] He won the Beppu-Ōita Marathon in 1997 with a time of 2:12:00. [21]

International competitions

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador
1986 Goodwill Games Moscow, Soviet Union 9th10,000 m 28:43.01
Ibero-American Championships Havana, Cuba 3rd10,000 m 30:10.05
South American Games Santiago, Chile 2nd5,000 m14:09.21
1st10,000 m28:53.90
1987 South American Championships São Paulo, Brazil 1st5,000 m14:03.00
2nd10,000 m29:19.16
Pan American Games Indianapolis, United States 2nd10,000 m 28:22.56
World Championships Rome, Italy10th10,000 m 28:20.24
1988 Olympic Games Seoul, South Korea 15th10,000 m 28:17.64
1989 South American Championships Medellín, Colombia 1st10,000 m29:28.1 A
Bolivarian Games Maracaibo, Venezuela 2nd5000 m14:24.64
1st10,000 m29:54.22
1990 Boston Marathon Boston, United States 3rdMarathon2:10:46
1991 Boston Marathon Boston, United States 13thMarathon2:15:46
New York City Marathon New York City, United States 14thMarathon2:17:21
1992 Ibero-American Championships Seville, Spain3rd10,000 m 28:55.16
Olympic Games Barcelona, Spain 43rdMarathon 2:21:30
1993 World Championships Stuttgart, Germany —10,000 m DNF
Bolivarian Games Cochabamba, Bolivia 1st10,000 m30:16.49 A
1994 London Marathon London, United Kingdom 9thMarathon2:11:15
1995 Los Angeles Marathon Los Angeles, United States 1stMarathon2:11:39
Pan American Games Mar del Plata, Argentina –Marathon DNF
Chuncheon Marathon Chuncheon, South Korea 1stMarathon2:11:30
1996 Olympic Games Atlanta, Georgia 22ndMarathon 2:17:40
1997 Beppu-Ōita Marathon Beppu-Ōita, Japan1stMarathon2:12:00
1998 Tokyo Marathon Tokyo, Japan 9thMarathon2:13:09

Related Research Articles

Ahmad Hassan Abdullah is a long-distance and cross country runner, now representing Qatar after his switch from Kenya in 2003. Other runners who have made the same switch include Saif Saeed Shaheen.

Paul Malakwen Kosgei is a Kenyan long-distance and marathon runner. He first came to prominence in athletics by taking the World Junior Record of 3000m steeple in 1997, and later with consecutive medals at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships from 1998 to 2000.

Luke Kipkosgei is a Kenyan long-distance runner who is most known for his track running over 3000 metres and 5000 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Njenga</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Daniel Njenga Muturi is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who specializes in the marathon.

Ahmed Ibrahim Baday is a Moroccan long-distance runner who specialized in the 5000 metres and cross-country running but now competes in road running competitions. He is currently banned for doping.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gert Thys</span> South African long-distance runner

Gert Thys is a male long-distance runner from South Africa, who represented his native country in the marathon at the 1996 and 2004 Summer Olympics. Thys is a former African record holder in the marathon, and is the current holder of the South African record with his best of 2:06:33 from the 1999 Tokyo International Marathon, which was also the course record for that race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nadia Ejjafini</span> Moroccan-born long-distance runner

Nadia Ejjafini is a Moroccan-born professional long-distance runner. She switched nationality from her birth country to Bahrain in 2003, and later became an Italian citizen by marriage in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Incerti</span> Italian long-distance runner

Anna Carmela Incerti is an Italian long-distance runner who specializes in the marathon. She has represented Italy in the marathon at European, World and Olympic-level. She won the bronze in the event at the 2010 European Championships, later upgraded to silver and then to gold.

Maria Albertina da Costa Dias Pereira is a former Portuguese long-distance runner. She competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics for her native country, starting in 1988. She was the first female Portuguese world champion in cross country running, having won the long race at the 1993 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

Shigeru So is a retired long-distance runner from Japan, who represented his native country at two Summer Olympics: 1976 and 1984. He won the 1985 edition of the Tokyo Marathon. His twin brother Takeshi So is also a retired Olympic marathoner, and finished fourth in Los Angeles, California (1984).

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beppu-Ōita Marathon</span> Annual marathon between Beppu and Ōita, Japan

The Beppu-Ōita Mainichi Marathon is an annual men's marathon race that takes place every February between the cities of Beppu and Ōita on the island of Kyushu in Japan. The race has IAAF Silver Label Road Race status and is a listed course of AIMS.

Iulia Olteanu is a Romanian former long-distance runner who competed in cross country, track and road running events.

Anne Rochelle Steely Ramirez, née Anne Rochelle Steely, is a former long-distance runner who competed internationally for the United States. She specialized in the 3,000 meters on the track and later competed in road running events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Mokoka</span> South African long-distance runner

Stephen Mokoka is a South African long-distance runner who competes in races ranging from 3000 metres to the 50 km distance. He formerly held the 50 km world record. He is a four-time medalist at the Universiade and has represented South Africa internationally in road, cross country, and track events. He represented South Africa in the marathon at the 2012 London Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yolanda Caballero</span> Colombian long-distance runner

Yolanda Beatriz Caballero Pérez is a long-distance runner from Colombia. Her personal best of 2:26:17 hours for the marathon is the fastest by a South American runner. Her half marathon best of 1:10:30 hours is also a South American record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedan Karoki Muchiri</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Bedan Karoki Muchiri is a Kenyan professional long distance runner who competes in track, cross country and road running disciplines. He represented Kenya at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.

The Asian Marathon Championships is a biennial international competition in marathon road running for Asian athletes. Organised by the Asian Athletics Association, its creation in 1988 followed decision to drop the 42.195-kilometre race from the programme of events at the Asian Athletics Championships. In that competition, championship marathons were held for men in 1973 and 1975, then finally for both men and women at the 1985.

Gerard Donakowski is a retired distance runner. He was especially successful in the 10,000 meter event, finishing as the men's runner-up in the 10,000 meters at the 1986 Goodwill Games. He was the men's winner of the 1987 Charlotte Observer Marathon. He is a brother of Bill Donakowski.

Thomas Osano is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who competed across track, road, and cross country running disciplines. His greatest individual honour was a 10,000 metres gold medal at the 1991 All-Africa Games. He also shared in a team gold medal with Kenya at the 1993 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.

References

  1. 1 2 "Rolando VERA - Athlete Profile". IAAF .
  2. ↑ 1984 Pan American Junior Championships. World Junior Athletics History. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  3. ↑ South American (ODESUR) Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  4. 1 2 Ibero American Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  5. ↑ Cherry Creek Sneak 5 Mile. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2010-04-28). Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  6. ↑ Gasparovic, Juraj (2007-10-20). Cascade Runoff 15 km.Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  7. ↑ Castro, Rich & Post, Marty (2010-06-03). Boulder CO/USA. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  8. 1 2 Rolando Vera. Sports-reference. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  9. 1 2 Bolivarian Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  10. ↑ Concannon, Joe (1990-04-17). Bordin and Mota Lead Foreign Pack. The Boston Globe . Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  11. ↑ Geis, John (1990-05-21). Vera Runs Smart, Wins Trib 10 Kilometer. LA Times . Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  12. ↑ Hejda, Antonin (2010-09-01). National Records- 10 kilometers Road. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  13. ↑ Philadelphia Distance Run Half Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2010-09-20). Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  14. ↑ Athletics at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Games:Men's Marathon. Sports-reference. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  15. ↑ Csiki, György & Hejda, Antonin (2010-09-21). National Records- Half Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  16. ↑ Marvejols-Mende 22.4 km. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  17. ↑ San Blas Half Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2010-02-08). Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  18. ↑ Hodges, Jim (1995-03-06). Los Angeles Marathon - It's a Vera Good Day in Rain in L.A.. LA Times . Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  19. ↑ Chosunilbo Chunchon Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2009-12-27). Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  20. ↑ Monti, Dave (2010-06-04). Ogden Newspapers Classic 20K. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  21. ↑ Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon. ARRS (2009-12-24). Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.