José Luis González (runner) facts for kids
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | Spanish | ||||||||||||||||
| Born | 8 December 1957 Villaluenga de la Sagra |
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| Height | 180 cm | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 63 kg | ||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Spain |
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| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 1500 metres, mile run | ||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | |||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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José Luis González Sánchez (born 8 December 1957) is a famous Spanish former middle-distance runner. He was born in Villaluenga de la Sagra, a town in Toledo. José Luis was one of the best runners in the world during the 1980s. He competed for Spain at the Olympics three times!
Contents
A Champion Runner's Journey
José Luis González was an amazing athlete who won many medals. He earned a silver medal in the 1500 metres race at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics. He also won two silver medals at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in 1985 and 1989.
European Indoor Success
He was especially good at the European Athletics Indoor Championships. He won six gold medals there, showing he was a true champion indoors! His wins included:
- 1500 metres in 1982, 1985, and 1986
- 3000 metres in 1987 and 1988
Setting Spanish Records
In 1985, José Luis became one of the fastest 1500 metres runners ever. In a race in Nice, he set a new Spanish record of 3 minutes and 30.92 seconds. This was an incredible achievement! A few weeks later, he also set a Spanish record in the mile run, finishing in 3 minutes and 47.79 seconds.
Other Big Achievements
José Luis also competed in cross country running, winning a junior silver medal in 1975. He won a silver medal at the 1983 Mediterranean Games and was a champion at the 1987 European Cup. He was named the Spanish sportsman of the year in 1986. Later, in 1994, he received the silver medal of the Royal Order of Sports Merit for his contributions to sports.
Olympic Appearances
José Luis González represented Spain at the Olympic Games three times:
- 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow
- 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles
- 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona
His best performance was reaching the semi-finals in the 1500 metres at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
National Titles and Best Times
José Luis was a seven-time Spanish national champion. He won four titles in the 1500 metres and one in the 5000 metres at the Spanish Athletics Championships. He also won the Spanish Cross Country Championships twice.
His fastest times (personal bests) include:
- 800 metres – 1 minute 47.14 seconds (1984)
- 1500 metres – 3 minutes 30.92 seconds (1985)
- Mile run – 3 minutes 47.79 seconds (1985)
- 3000 metres – 7 minutes 42.93 seconds (1987)
- 5000 metres – 13 minutes 12.34 seconds (1987)
See also
- List of middle-distance runners
- List of Spanish sportspeople
- List of World Athletics Championships medalists (men)
- List of IAAF World Indoor Championships medalists (men)
- List of European Athletics Indoor Championships medalists (men)
- List of 5000 metres national champions (men)
- 1500 metres at the World Championships in Athletics
- Spain at the World Athletics Championships
