Carlos Lopes Facts for Kids

For the Paralympic athlete, see Carlos Lopes (Paralympic athlete). For other people, see Carlos López.

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Sousa and the second or paternal family name is Lopes.

Quick facts for kids

CGIH

Lopes at the 1985 Rotterdam Marathon

Personal information

Full name

Carlos Alberto de Sousa Lopes

Nationality

Portugal

Born

18 February 1947 (age 78)
Vildemoinhos, Viseu, Portugal

Sport

Athletics/Track, Long-distance running

Event(s)

5000 metres, 10,000 metres, Marathon, Cross country

Club

Sporting Clube de Portugal

Achievements and titles

Personal best(s)

5000 m: 13:16.38
10,000 m: 27:17.48
Marathon: 2:07:12

Medal record


Olympic Games
Gold	1984 Los Angeles	Marathon
Silver	1976 Montreal	10,000 m
World Cross Country Championships
Gold	1976 Chepstow	Long course
Gold	1984 East Rutherford	Long course
Gold	1985 Lisbon	Long course
Silver	1977 Düsseldorf	Long course
Silver	1983 Gateshead	Long course

Carlos Alberto de Sousa Lopes (born 18 February 1947) is a famous Portuguese former long-distance runner. He once held the world record for the marathon.

Carlos Lopes won the marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. This made him Portugal's first Olympic gold medalist. He was also the oldest Olympic marathon winner at 37 years old. He set an Olympic record that lasted for 24 years. On 20 April 1985, Lopes set a new men's marathon world record. He ran the Rotterdam Marathon in 2 hours, 7 minutes, and 12 seconds. He ran for Sporting CP during his club career.

Many people think Carlos Lopes is one of the best Portuguese athletes ever. He was the last European runner to hold the men's marathon world record, from 1985 to 1988. He won two Olympic medals. He also won the World Athletics Cross Country Championships three times (in 1976, 1984, and 1985). He won several national championships in Portugal too.

Early Life and Start in Running
Running Career Highlights
- Olympic Champion
- Marathon World Record
Honours
See also

Early Life and Start in Running

Carlos Lopes was born on 18 February 1947. He grew up in Vildemoinhos, a town near Viseu, Portugal. He was the oldest of eight children in his family. To help his family, he started working when he was just 13 years old. He had different jobs, like helping a stonemason.

Carlos first wanted to play soccer for a local club. But his father did not agree. So, Carlos looked for other sports. In 1967, he was asked to join the athletics team at Sporting Clube de Portugal. His coach was Mário Moniz Pereira. Carlos stayed with this team until he stopped running in 1985.

Running Career Highlights

Carlos Lopes won his first major international race in 1976. He won the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Chepstow, Wales.

At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Carlos ran in the 10,000 metres race. He led the race from the 4000-metre mark. Only Lasse Virén, a double Olympic champion, could keep up with him. Virén passed Carlos on the last lap to win the gold medal. Carlos finished in a strong second place.

In that race, Carlos ran the first 5,000 metres in 14 minutes and 8.94 seconds. He ran the second 5,000 metres even faster, in 13 minutes and 36.23 seconds. This showed he could get faster as the race went on. However, he often found it hard to speed up very quickly in the final part of track races.

The next year, in 1977, Carlos finished second. This was at the World Cross Country Championships in Düsseldorf, Germany. He came in behind Leon Schots.

After this, Carlos had some injuries. Because of these injuries, he could not compete in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

In 1982, Carlos started running very well again. In Oslo, Norway, he broke the European record for the 10,000 metres. His time was 27 minutes and 24.39 seconds. This record had belonged to his teammate, Fernando Mamede.

At the 1982 European Athletics Championships in Athens, Greece, Carlos finished fourth in the 10,000 metres. He led most of the race. But he was passed on the final lap by the winner, Alberto Cova.

Carlos tried his first marathon in 1982 at the New York City Marathon. But he had to stop the race. He accidentally ran into a spectator.

In 1983, he finished second again at the World Cross Country Championships. This race was held in Gateshead, England.

Carlos ran his second marathon in 1983 at the Rotterdam Marathon. He finished second and set a new European record time of 2 hours, 8 minutes, and 39 seconds. He was only two seconds behind the winner, Robert de Castella. After this, he decided to focus on marathons and cross country races.

In 1984, Carlos won his second World Cross Country Championships. This time it was in East Rutherford, United States. Later that year, in Stockholm, Sweden, he helped his teammate Fernando Mamede. Carlos ran at a fast pace to help Mamede break the 10,000 metres world record. Mamede finished first, and Carlos came in second with a time of 27 minutes and 17.48 seconds.

Olympic Champion

Carlos Lopes almost missed the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. A week before the Games, he was hit by a car in Lisbon. Luckily, he was not hurt.

The Olympic marathon in Los Angeles was run in very hot weather. Many of the top runners struggled. But Carlos Lopes kept going strong. He won the gold medal by a large distance. He finished with an Olympic record time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 21 seconds. He was 37 years old, making him the oldest Olympic marathon winner. His victory made him a truly famous runner. He ran the last 7.2 kilometers (about 4.5 miles) very fast. His Olympic record stood until the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. There, Sammy Wanjiru of Kenya won with a faster time.

In 1985, Carlos Lopes won the World Cross Country Championships for the third and final time. This race was held in Lisbon, Portugal.

Marathon World Record

Carlos Lopes ran his last big race at the 1985 Rotterdam Marathon. He set a new world record for the marathon. He finished in 2 hours, 7 minutes, and 12 seconds. This was 53 seconds faster than the old record. He was the first person to run the 42.195 kilometers (26.2 miles) in less than 2 hours and 8 minutes.