Angelita Lind
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Angelita Lind (born January 13, 1959 in Patillas, Puerto Rico), is considered by many people in Puerto Rico to be their greatest track and field athlete.
Known as "The Angel of Puerto Rico", Angelita was born into a poor family and received her primary and secondary education in her hometown. She first participated in track and field events in the 7th grade and later she continued participating for her high school. However, it wasn't until she became a student at the Inter-American University that she was asked by the Puerto Rican Olympic Committee to represent Puerto Rico in international sports events.
Angelita 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.
In the CAC of 1982, celebrated in Havana, Cuba, Angelita 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. Angelita'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 Angelita arrived second. They based their decision on a rule of track and field which states that the first torso across the finish line wins.
By this time there had been a lot of trouble between the Government of Puerto Rico, headed by then governor Carlos Romero Barcelo, (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. Angelita'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.
Angelita Lind officially retired in 1992, however on July, 2003 at age 44, she returned to paricipate 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.
She earned her Masters Degree and is currently a professor of physical education. Angelita also serves as assistant athletic director in the department of physical education at the Inter-American University in San German, Puerto Rico. In 2004, she was inducted into the "Puerto Rican Sports Hall of Fame".
