Robert de Castella facts for kids
Robert de Castella in 1983
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| Full name | Francois Robert de Castella | ||||||||||||||||
| Born | 27 February 1957 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
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| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 65 kg (143 lb) | ||||||||||||||||
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| Country |  Australia |
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| Sport | Long-distance running | ||||||||||||||||
| Club | Old Xaverians, Glenhuntly Athletics Club, Melbourne Mazda Optimists Track Club |
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Medal record
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Francois Robert "Rob" de Castella (born 27 February 1957) is an Australian former world champion marathon runner. He is often called "Deek" or "Deeks" by Australians. His competitors sometimes called him "Tree" because of his strong legs and calm nature. He holds the record for the fastest marathon time in the Oceanic region.
Contents
Early Life and Running Beginnings
Rob de Castella was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He was the oldest of seven children. His family has French and Swiss-French roots. Sports were a big part of his family's life. His father, Rolet, ran marathons in the 1950s. His mother, Anne, was a state-level tennis player. His brothers, Nicholas and Anthony, also enjoyed running.
Rob went to Xavier College in Melbourne. He was a great track athlete from a young age. He started training with coach Pat Clohessy when he was just 11 years old.
Rob's Marathon Journey
Rob de Castella wanted to represent Australia at the Olympics. He believed his best chance was in the marathon. He won the Australian championship and came second in the Olympic trials. This earned him a spot on the 1980 Olympic team.
1980 Olympic Games in Moscow
Rob's first big international marathon was at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. He finished 10th out of 74 runners, which was a great result. His time was 2 hours, 14 minutes, and 31 seconds.
1981 Fukuoka Marathon: A World Record!
Rob de Castella became famous around the world when he won the 1981 Fukuoka Marathon. His time was 2 hours, 8 minutes, and 18 seconds. At first, people thought it was a few seconds slower than another runner's time. But it was later found that the other course was a bit too short. So, Rob's time was officially named the new world record for the marathon!
1982 Commonwealth Games Marathon in Brisbane
Rob was the top runner expected to win the marathon at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. Two runners from Tanzania, Gidamis Shahanga and Juma Ikangaa, started very fast. They were far ahead of everyone else.
Around the halfway point, Rob had a stomach upset. But he kept going! He slowly started to catch up to the leaders. By the 38-kilometer mark, he passed Shahanga. Then, he caught up to Ikangaa. They ran side-by-side for a while, battling for the lead. In the end, Rob pulled ahead and won the race! He finished in 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 18 seconds, just 12 seconds ahead of Ikangaa. The race finished on the streets of Brisbane, not inside the main stadium.
1983 Rotterdam Marathon
In April 1983, Rob won the Rotterdam Marathon. This race was a big deal because it was seen as a challenge between Rob and Alberto Salazar, who had not lost a race yet. The race was even shown live on TV in Australia. Rob ran very strongly, leaving most of the other runners behind. He then had a sprint finish against Carlos Lopes, who would win the Olympic marathon the next year. Rob won in 2 hours, 8 minutes, and 37 seconds. This was the fourth fastest marathon time ever recorded at that point.
1983 World Championships Gold
Rob de Castella won Australia's first gold medal in athletics at the World Championships. He won the marathon in August 1983 in Helsinki. He beat Kebede Balcha from Ethiopia and Olympic champion Waldemar Cierpinski.
1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles
Rob was expected to win the marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He was part of a group of ten leading runners for most of the race. But around the 35-kilometer mark, six runners sped up, and Rob couldn't keep their pace. He managed to catch some of them in the final kilometers and finished in a strong fifth place.
1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh
Rob successfully defended his Commonwealth Games title in Edinburgh. He won the marathon again, finishing in 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 15 seconds.
Cross Country Running Achievements
Besides marathons, Rob de Castella was also a very good cross country runner. He won the Australian national title once as a junior and four times as a senior. He also finished on the podium five other times. He competed eight times at the World Cross Country Championships between 1977 and 1986. He finished in the top 20 five times at these world events.
Life After Running
Rob de Castella continued to represent Australia at the Olympics. He competed in four straight Olympic Games: 1988 in Seoul and 1992 in Barcelona. He finished in the top ten in three of his Olympic races, but he never won an Olympic medal.
He stopped competing professionally in 1993. Today, he lives in Canberra with his wife, Theresa, and their four children. Sadly, he lost his family home and many of his medals in the 2003 Canberra bushfires. He chose to move to a nearby suburb instead of rebuilding. He later helped with the team set up to rebuild areas affected by the fires.
From 1990 to 1995, Rob was the director of the Australian Institute of Sport. This is a very important sports organization in Australia. He has also worked to encourage healthy living for both children and adults. He leads the Indigenous Marathon Project, which helps young Indigenous Australians train for marathons. In 2009, he started the Stromlo Running Festival, an annual trail running event in Canberra. In 2014, he was recognized as an Officer of the Order of Australia for his work helping children's health, supporting young Indigenous people, and his running career.
In 2003, Rob launched "deeks," a special chain of bakeries and cafés that offer grain and gluten-free foods. He also earned a black belt in the traditional Okinawan martial art of Goju Ryu in 2004.
Major Race Results
- 1977 – Won the Sydney City to Surf race.
- 1979 – Won the Victorian Championship and the Australian marathon title.
- 1980 – Finished 10th in the 1980 Summer Olympics marathon in Moscow.
- 1981 – Won the Fukuoka Marathon and set a world record.
- 1981 – Won and set the fastest time in the City to Surf, Sydney.
- 1982 – Won the 1982 Commonwealth Games marathon in Brisbane.
- 1983 – Won the Rotterdam Marathon.
- 1983 – Won the 1983 World Championships in Athletics marathon in Helsinki.
- 1984 – Finished 5th in the Olympic Marathon in Los Angeles.
- 1984 – Finished 3rd in the Chicago Marathon.
- 1985 – Finished 3rd in the Chicago Marathon.
- 1986 – Won the 1986 Commonwealth Games marathon in Edinburgh.
- 1986 – Won the Boston marathon with his personal best time of 2 hours, 7 minutes, and 51 seconds.
- 1987 – Won the Great North Run.
- 1988 – Finished 8th in the 1988 Summer Olympics marathon in Seoul.
- 1991 – Won the Rotterdam Marathon again.
- 1992 – Finished 26th in the Olympic Marathon in Barcelona.
Records Still Held
As of May 2009, Rob de Castella still held several running records:
- Australian Under 20 10,000 meters record.
- Australian 20-kilometer Track record.
- Australian 1-hour running record (distance covered in one hour).
- Australian All Comers Marathon record (fastest time by anyone in Australia).
- Australian Marathon record (his personal best time).
Awards and Recognition
- 1982 – Became a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to athletics.
- 1983 – Named Australian of the Year.
- 1985 – Inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
- 2000 – Received the Australian Sports Medal.
- 2001 – Received the Centenary Medal for his contributions to athletics and sports management.
- 2001 – Recognized as one of the Australian Institute of Sport's 'Best of the Best'.
- 2014 – Became an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for his work promoting children's health, supporting young Indigenous people, and his achievements in marathon running.
Images for kids
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Robert de Castella in 1983
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World champion Robert De Castella (right) with third-place finisher Waldemar Cierpinski in Helsinki 1983.
See also
In Spanish: Rob de Castella para niños
