Carles Castillejo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Carles Castillejo

Castillejo in the marathon at the 2012 Olympics in London
Personal information
Born	(1978-08-18) August 18, 1978 (age 47)
Height	1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Weight	60 kg (130 lb)
Sport
Country	Spain
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Marathon

Carles Castillejo Salvador, born on August 18, 1978, in Barcelona, Spain, is a famous Spanish long-distance runner. He is known for competing in very long races, like the 5000 meters, 10,000 meters, and the marathon. Carles has won many national titles in Spain for these events. He also proudly represented Spain in the Olympic Games four times: in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016.

Carles Castillejo's Running Journey

Carles Castillejo first started competing for Spain internationally in 2004. He ran in a long cross country race that year. He did even better on the track, winning the Spanish national title for the 5000 metres race. He also came in second place in the 3000 meters at a championship in Spain. Later in 2004, he made his first appearance at the 2004 Athens Olympics, but he did not make it past the first round in the 5000 meters.

Improving His Performance

In 2005, Carles improved his ranking in the World Cross Country race. He also ran his fastest time ever in the 10,000 metres race, finishing second at a European competition. The next year, he helped Spain win silver medals as a team at the European Cross Country Championships. He continued to do well in the European 10,000m race, earning a bronze medal in 2007 and a silver medal in 2008.

After running his personal best time of 27 minutes and 39.79 seconds in Vigo, Spain, he competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. There, he finished 23rd in the 10,000 meters. In 2009, he had his best finish ever at the World Cross Country Championships. He then won a silver medal in the 5000 meters at the European Team Championships. His best performance on the world stage came when he finished 15th in the 10,000 meters at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics.

Marathon Debut and Olympic Races

In 2010, Carles finished fifth in the 10,000 meters at the European Championships. In 2011, he ran his very first marathon race at the Spanish national championship. He won the race with a time of 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 2 seconds. This amazing performance meant he was chosen to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

In February 2012, Carles even beat Patrick Makau, who held the world record for the marathon at the time, at the Granollers Half Marathon. He ran very well even though the weather was very cold. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, he finished in 24th place in the marathon.

Carles Castillejo competed in his last professional marathon at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. He finished 49th with a time of 2 hours, 18 minutes, and 34 seconds.

Carles Castillejo's Achievements

Carles Castillejo has achieved many great things throughout his running career, representing Spain in various international competitions. Here are some of his notable results:

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Spain
2003	Universiade	Daegu, South Korea	4th	5000 m	13:57.20
2004	Ibero-American Championships	Huelva, Spain	2nd	3000 m	7:51.26
	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	31st (h)	5000 m	13:49.16
2005	Mediterranean Games	Almería, Spain	2nd	10,000 m	29:13.91
	Universiade	Izmir, Turkey	4th	5000 m	13:46.74
			6th	10,000 m	29:23.93
2008	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	23rd	10,000 m	28:13.68
2009	European Team Championships	Leiria, Portugal	2nd	5000 m	13:49.54
	World Championships	Berlin, Germany	15th	10,000 m	28:09.89
2010	European Championships	Barcelona, Spain	5th	10,000 m	28:49.69
2012	European Championships	Helsinki, Finland	5th	10,000 m	28:24.51
	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	24th	Marathon	2:16:17
2015	World Championships	Beijing, China	—	Marathon	DNF
2016	European Championships	Amsterdam, Netherlands	8th	Half marathon	1:03:52
	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	49th	Marathon	2:18:34

See also

In Spanish: Carles Castillejo para niños