Fermín Cacho facts for kids
Cacho in November 2011
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Fermín Cacho Ruiz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 16 February 1969 Ágreda, Spain |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fermín Cacho Ruiz (born February 16, 1969) is a famous Spanish track and field athlete. He is best known for his amazing running skills in the 1500-meter race. Fermín won a gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He also earned a silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He was one of the top middle-distance runners in the world during his career.
Fermín was born in Ágreda, Spain. He had a very impressive record in the 1500-meter race. Even though he was a great competitor, his fastest times came later in his career.
Contents
Early Races and First Medals
Fermín Cacho started showing his talent in 1990. He won a silver medal in the 1500-meter race at the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow. The next year, in 1991, he again won a silver medal. This was at the World Indoor Championships in Seville. He finished just behind another famous runner, Noureddine Morceli.
Olympic Gold in Barcelona (1992)
When the Olympic Games came to Barcelona in 1992, many people did not expect Fermín to win gold. However, the 1500-meter final race was run at a slow pace. This allowed Fermín to save his energy. In the last lap, he found the perfect spot and sprinted past everyone. He ran the final lap in a super-fast 50.6 seconds. This amazing finish helped him win the gold medal with a time of 3:40.12. It was a huge surprise and a great victory for Spain!
World and European Success
After his Olympic win, Fermín continued to compete at a high level. In 1993, he won a silver medal at the World Championships in Stuttgart. The next year, in 1994, he became the champion at the European Championships in Helsinki. He won the 1500-meter title there. In 1995, at the World Championships in Gothenburg, he finished in eighth place.
Olympic Silver in Atlanta (1996)
Fermín Cacho was in great shape for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He was the defending Olympic champion. Many thought the final race would be a battle between Noureddine Morceli and Hicham El Guerrouj.
During the race, something unexpected happened. El Guerrouj tripped and fell. Fermín had to quickly jump over him to avoid falling too. He later said this made him lose about 5 meters to Morceli. Morceli had already started his final sprint. Fermín chased Morceli hard in the last lap but could not catch him. Morceli won, and Fermín Cacho earned a well-deserved silver medal.
Later Career and Records
In 1997, Fermín won another silver medal at the World Championships in Athens. Later that year, he ran his fastest 1500-meter race ever. He finished second behind El Guerrouj with a time of 3:28.95. This amazing time made him the third-fastest 1500-meter runner in history at that point.
He won a bronze medal at the European Championships in Budapest in 1998. In 1999, he finished fourth at the World Championships in Seville. Sadly, Fermín got an Achilles' tendon injury in 2000. This injury meant he could not compete at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
Fermín Cacho held the European record for the 1500-meter race for 16 years. His time of 3:28.95 was the best in Europe from 1997 until 2013. That's when Mo Farah broke it with a slightly faster time of 3:28.81.
Fermín Cacho's Best Times
Fermín Cacho set many personal best times during his career. These are his fastest times in different races:
Outdoor Races
- 800 metres – 1:45.37 (in Albacete, 1991)
- 1000 metres – 2:16.13 (in Andújar, 1993)
- 1500 metres – 3:28.95 (in Zürich, 1997)
- One mile – 3:49.56 (in Oslo, 1996)
- 3000 metres – 7:37.02 (in Seville, 1999)
- 5000 metres – 13:46.65 (in Seville, 2002)
Indoor Races
- 800 metres – 1:46.79 (in Seville, 1993)
- 1000 metres – 2:20.18 (in Madrid, 1992)
- 1500 metres – 3:35.29 (in Seville, 1991)
- 3000 metres – 7:36.61 (in Stuttgart, 1996)
See also
In Spanish: Fermín Cacho para niños
