Vera Santos

Vera Santos
Personal information
Born December 3, 1981
Height 1.64 m (5 ft 4 1⁄2 in)
Weight 57 kg (126 lb)
Sport
Country  Portugal
Sport Athletics
Event(s) 20km Race Walk

Vera Lúcia Montez dos Santos (born 3 December 1981 in Santarém, Lezíria do Tejo) is a Portuguese race walker.

She began racing at the senior international level in 2002, taking part in the 2002 European Athletics Championships. Her first major medal was a silver at the 2003 European Athletics U23 Championships and she went on to compete at that year's World Championships in Athletics. Santos finished 15th at the 2005 World Championships but managed a silver at the 2005 Summer Universiade. She won the bronze at the 2008 IAAF World Race Walking Cup and then went on to finish ninth in a then personal best time at the 2008 Beijing Olympics later that year. She put in the highest-ranking performance at the 2009 World Championships, taking fifth place.

Santos won her first national racewalking title in 2005 and became a two-time national champion in 2010 with a win at the Meeting de Marcha Atlética da Cidade de Olhao.[1] She took another victory on home turf soon after, winning the Grande Premio Internacional en Marcha Atletica in Rio Maior. She led the race throughout, holding off China's Li Yanfei, and after the win she began altitude training to prepare for the upcoming World Race Walking Cup.[2] She took her third circuit win of the year at the Coppa Città di Sesto San Giovanni.[3] She competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[4]

In 2014, she set a new personal best of 1:28:02 at the World Race Walking Cup in Taicang, finishing in 11th place.[4]

Achievements

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Portugal
2000 European Race Walking Cup Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany 8th 10 km Junior race
World Junior Championships Santiago, Chile 5th 10,000 m
2002 European Championships Munich, Germany 17th 20 km
2003 European U23 Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 2nd 20 km
World Championships Paris, France 15th 20 km
2005 World Championships Helsinki, Finland 15th 20 km
Universiade İzmir, Turkey 2nd 20 km
2006 European Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 8th 20 km
2007 World Championships Osaka, Japan 11th 20 km
2008 World Race Walking Cup Cheboksary, Russia 3rd 20 km
Olympic Games Beijing, China 9th 20 km
2009 European Race Walking Cup Metz, France — 20 km DSQ
World Championships Berlin, Germany 5th 20 km
2010 European Championships Barcelona, Spain 6th 20 km
2012 World Race Walking Cup Saransk, Russia 17th 20 km
Olympic Games London, Great Britain 49th 20 km
2013 World Championships Moscow, Russia 17th 20 km
2014 World Race Walking Cup Taicang, China 11th 20 km

References

  1. ↑ Fernandes, Antonio, Manuel (2010-02-21). Santos beats the conditions in Olhão – IAAF Race Walking Challenge. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-02-22.
  2. ↑ Fernandes, António Manuel (2010-04-11). Santos and Tysse take Rio Maior wins – IAAF Race Walking Challenge. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-11.
  3. ↑ Sampaolo, Diego (2010-05-02). Schwazer and Santos dominate in Sesto San Giovanni - IAAF Race Walking Challenge. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-05-02.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Vera Santos at IAAF.org". www.iaaf.org. IAAF. Retrieved 27 February 2015.

External links