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 long-distance runner from Portugal. She was born on June 23, 1969, in Penafiel. Fernanda is best known for winning the gold medal in the 10,000 meters race at the 1996 Summer Olympics. This amazing win set a new Olympic record of 31:01.63 and was a huge moment for Portugal, giving the country its third Olympic gold medal ever.

Fernanda Ribeiro's Running Journey

Fernanda Ribeiro started her running career with a club called Grupo Desportivo do Kolossal. Later, she joined FC Porto, a well-known sports club, and ran for them for ten years, from 1982 to 1992. After a short time with another club, Maratona Clube da Maia, she returned to FC Porto. Besides being a top athlete, she also worked as a sports adviser for her hometown's mayor.

Olympic and World Achievements

Fernanda 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 participated in many European and World Championships, winning many medals.

Even after her main competitive years, Fernanda continued to run. In 2010, when she was 40 years old, she finished third in the Lisbon Half Marathon. That same year, she helped the Portuguese women's team win the title at the European Cup 10000m by finishing seventh herself.

Winning Gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics

On August 2, 1996, Fernanda Ribeiro competed in the final of the women's 10,000 meters race at the Atlanta Olympics. As the race neared its end, she was running right behind Wang Junxia from China. Wang was a very strong runner, holding the world record and having won the 5,000 meters Olympic gold.

The Final Lap of the Race

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, she found an incredible burst of speed. She passed Wang on the inside just as they entered the final straight part of the track. Wang had no way to respond to Fernanda's powerful finish.

After her amazing victory, Fernanda shared how determined she was:

"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 made a pilgrimage (a special journey) to Fátima to thank Our Lady of Fátima for her incredible Olympic win.

Key Achievements and Personal Bests

Fernanda Ribeiro has an impressive list of achievements throughout her career. She won many medals in various championships.

Major Olympic and World Medals

• 1996 Atlanta Olympics: Gold medal in 10,000 meters.
• 2000 Sydney Olympics: Bronze medal in 10,000 meters.
• 1995 World Championships (Gothenburg): Gold medal in 10,000 meters and Silver medal in 5,000 meters.
• 1997 World Championships (Athens): Silver medal in 10,000 meters and Bronze medal in 5,000 meters.
• 1994 European Championships (Helsinki): Gold medal in 10,000 meters.
• 1998 European Championships (Budapest): Silver medal in 10,000 meters.
• 1994 and 2000 World Cross Country Championships: Gold medals with the team.
• 1998 and 2004 European Cross Country Championships: Gold medals with the team.

Personal Best Times

These are Fernanda Ribeiro's fastest times in different running events:

• 2000 meters outdoor: 5 minutes, 37.88 seconds (Lisbon, 1996)
• 2000 meters indoor: 5 minutes, 37.34 seconds (Valencia, 1996)
• 3000 meters indoor: 8 minutes, 39.49 seconds (Stockholm, 1996)
• 5000 meters outdoor: 14 minutes, 36.45 seconds (Hechtel, 1995)
• 5000 meters indoor: 15 minutes, 06.52 seconds (Moscow, 1996)
• 10000 meters: 30 minutes, 22.88 seconds (Sydney, 2000)
• 10000 meters Olympic record: 31 minutes, 01.63 seconds (Atlanta, 1996)

See also

In Spanish: Fernanda Ribeiro para niños