Enriqueta Basilio facts for kids
Basilio during the 1968 Summer Olympics
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Quick facts for kids Personal information |
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| Born | 15 July 1948 Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico |
| Died | 26 October 2019 (aged 71) |
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Weight | 59 kg (130 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Sprint, hurdles |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 12.3 (100 m, 1968) 55.0 (400 m, 1968) 11.20 (80 m/h, 1968). |
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Norma Enriqueta "Queta" Basilio Sotelo (born July 15, 1948 – died October 26, 2019) was a famous Mexican track and field athlete. She was born in Mexicali, the capital of Baja California. Queta made history at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. She became the first woman ever to light the Olympic Cauldron. This was a huge moment for women in sports around the world.
Contents
Queta Basilio: An Olympic Pioneer
Enriqueta Basilio came from an athletic family. Her father was a cotton farmer. Her coach, Vladimir Puzio, helped her switch from high jumping to hurdling. This change helped her become a national champion.
Lighting the Olympic Cauldron
On October 12, 1968, Queta Basilio was the last person to carry the Olympic torch. She ran into the stadium and lit the Olympic Cauldron at the 19th Summer Olympics. This made her the first woman in Olympic history to do so. It was a powerful symbol of equality and progress in sports.
Her Athletic Career
Queta was a national champion in athletics. She also held national records in the 80 metres hurdles. At the 1967 Pan American Games, she finished seventh in the 80 metres hurdles event.
At the 1968 Olympics, she competed in several events. These included the 400 metres, 80 metres hurdles, and the 4 × 100 metres relay. In 1970, she won a bronze medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the Central American and Caribbean Games.
Life After the Olympics
After her athletic career, Queta Basilio continued to be an important figure.
Family and Education
She married a basketball player named Mario Álvarez. Sadly, he died in an airplane accident, and Queta became a widow. She raised their three young children on her own. She also studied sociology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Public Service and Recognition
Queta became a federal deputy for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in Mexico. This means she was a politician who helped make laws for the country. She was also a permanent member of the Mexico Olympic Committee. In 2004, she was part of the Olympic torch relay again when it passed through Mexico City.
In 2014, she faced a difficult situation when she lost some of her savings due to a financial scam. Enriqueta Basilio passed away on October 26, 2019, at the age of 71, due to pneumonia.
Honored in Space
On October 15, 2020, a small moon of a trojan asteroid was named Queta after her. The asteroid is called 3548 Eurybates. This made her the first Olympic athlete to be honored in space in this way!
See also
In Spanish: Enriqueta Basilio para niños
