Fernanda Ribeiro facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Fernanda Ribeiro

Ribeiro at the 2006 Hamburg Marathon
Personal information
Nationality	Portuguese
Born	(1969-06-23) 23 June 1969 (age 56) Penafiel, Portugal
Height	1.61 m (5 ft 3+1⁄2 in)
Sport
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Middle, long, road, and cross country running
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Portugal Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 0 1 World Championships 1 2 1 European Championships 1 1 0 World Indoor Championships 0 0 1 European Indoor Championships 2 1 0 World Junior Championships 0 1 0 European Junior Championships 1 0 0 IAAF Continental Cup 0 1 0 World Cross Country C'ships 2 0 0 European Cross Country C'ships 2 0 2 Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta 10000 m Bronze 2000 Sydney 10000 m World Championships Gold 1995 Gothenburg 10000 m Silver 1995 Gothenburg 5000 m Silver 1997 Athens 10000 m Bronze 1997 Athens 5000 m European Championships Gold 1994 Helsinki 10000 m Silver 1998 Budapest 10000 m World Indoor Championships Bronze 1997 Paris 3000 m European Indoor Championships Gold 1994 Paris 3000 m Gold 1996 Stockholm 3000 m Silver 1998 Valencia 3000 m World Junior Championships Silver 1988 Sudbury 3000 m European Junior Championships Gold 1987 Birmingham 3000 m Continental Cup Silver 1994 London 10000 m World Cross Country Championships Gold 1994 Budapest Team race Gold 2000 Vilamoura Team short race European Cross Country Championships Gold 1998 Ferrara Team race Gold 2004 Heringsdorf Team race Bronze 1994 Alnwick Team race Bronze 2007 Toro Team race World Road Relay Championships Gold 1992 Funchal Women's event Lusophony Games Gold 2009 Lisbon 10 km road Silver 2006 Macau Half marathon Ibero-American Championships Gold 2000 Rio de Janeiro 5000 m Gold 2004 Huelva 5000 m Bronze 1990 Manaus 3000 m European Cup 10000m Gold 1998 Lisbon Individual race Gold 1998 Lisbon Team race Gold 2002 Camaiore Team race Gold 2003 Athens Individual race Gold 2003 Athens Team race Gold 2005 Barakaldo Team race Gold 2009 Riveira Brava Team race Gold 2010 Marseille Team race Silver 2002 Camaiore Individual race Silver 2004 Maribor Team race Silver 2005 Barakaldo Individual race Bronze 2004 Maribor Individual race

Maria Fernanda Moreira Ribeiro is a famous Portuguese long-distance runner. She was born on June 23, 1969, in Penafiel, Portugal. Her biggest win was at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. There, she won the gold medal in the women's 10,000-meter race. She even set a new Olympic record with her time of 31 minutes and 1.63 seconds! This victory was Portugal's third ever Olympic gold medal.

Fernanda Ribeiro's Early Career

Fernanda started running with a group called Grupo Desportivo do Kolossal. Later, she joined the well-known sports club FC Porto. She ran for FC Porto from 1982 to 1992. After a couple of years with another club, Maratona Clube da Maia, she returned to FC Porto. Besides her amazing sports career, Fernanda also worked as a sports adviser for her town's mayor.

Olympic and World Championships History

Fernanda Ribeiro holds the record for the most Olympic medals won by a Portuguese athlete. She has competed in five Summer Olympics: Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000), and Athens (2004). She also took part in many European and World Championships.

Even as she got older, Fernanda kept running strong. In 2010, at 40 years old, she finished third in the Lisbon Half Marathon. She also helped the Portuguese women's team win a title at the European Cup 10000 m in June 2010.

Winning Gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics

On August 2, 1996, Fernanda Ribeiro competed in the final of the Olympic women's 10,000-meter race. As the race neared its end, Fernanda was right behind Chinese runner Wang Junxia. Wang was a world record holder and had already won the 5,000-meter Olympic race.

The Exciting Final Lap

In the last lap, Wang Junxia pulled ahead, creating a gap of about 10 meters. But Fernanda didn't give up! In the final 200 meters, Fernanda sped up. She passed Wang on the inside as they entered the last straight part of the track. Wang couldn't catch up.

After her amazing win, Fernanda shared how she felt:

"I had promised to fight until my very limits. I only missed finishing on my knees. From the third kilometer, I started feeling pain, but I managed to keep going. I suffered, but for the dream of becoming Olympic champion, I was ready to run until... death knocked me over! I just got a bit scared when I saw Wang pull away with 400 meters to go. But at that moment, I wasn't defeated yet... that's when I remembered my promise to walk to Fátima."

In November 1996, Fernanda kept her promise. She went on a pilgrimage to Fátima to thank Our Lady of Fátima for her incredible victory.

Key Achievements and Results

Fernanda Ribeiro has won many medals throughout her career. Here are some of her most important achievements:

• Olympic Games:

* Gold medal in 10,000 m at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. * Bronze medal in 10,000 m at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

• World Championships:

* Gold medal in 10,000 m at the 1995 Gothenburg World Championships. * Silver medal in 5,000 m at the 1995 Gothenburg World Championships. * Silver medal in 10,000 m at the 1997 Athens World Championships. * Bronze medal in 5,000 m at the 1997 Athens World Championships.

• European Championships:

* Gold medal in 10,000 m at the 1994 Helsinki European Championships. * Silver medal in 10,000 m at the 1998 Budapest European Championships.

• European Indoor Championships:

* Gold medals in 3,000 m in 1994 Paris and 1996 Stockholm.

• World Cross Country Championships:

* Two team gold medals in 1994 and 2000.

• European Cross Country Championships:

* Two team gold medals in 1998 and 2004.

• European Cup 10,000 Meters:

* Eight gold medals, including individual and team wins.

Medal Count Summary

Fernanda Ribeiro has won a total of 40 international medals!

• 23 Gold medals
• 10 Silver medals
• 7 Bronze medals

She is one of the top female athletes in the world for the number of international medals won.

Fernanda Ribeiro's Personal Best Times

These are the fastest times Fernanda Ribeiro has run in different races:

• 2000 m outdoor – 5:37.88 (Lisbon, 1996)
• 2000 m indoor – 5:37.34 (Valencia, 1996)
• 3000 m indoor – 8:39.49 (Stockholm, 1996)
• 5000 m outdoor – 14:36.45 (Hechtel, 1995)
• 5000 m indoor – 15:06.52 (Moscow, 1996)
• 10000 m – 30:22.88 (Sydney, 2000)
• 10000 m Olympic – 31:01.63 (Atlanta, 1996 – This is her Olympic record!)

See also

In Spanish: Fernanda Ribeiro para niños