Rosa Mota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Rosa Mota

Rosa Mota in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Rosa Maria Correia dos Santos Mota
Born	(1958-06-29) 29 June 1958 (age 67) Porto, Portugal
Height	5 feet 2 inches (1.57 m)
Weight	99 pounds (45 kg)
Sport
Sport	Track and field athletics
Event(s)	Marathon
Retired	1992
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	1988 – Gold
Medal record Women's Athletics Representing  Portugal Olympic Games Gold 1988 Seoul Marathon Bronze 1984 Los Angeles Marathon World Championships Gold 1987 Rome Marathon European Championships Gold 1982 Athens Marathon Gold 1986 Stuttgart Marathon Gold 1990 Split Marathon

Rosa Maria Correia dos Santos Mota (born 29 June 1958) is a famous Portuguese former marathon runner. She is one of Portugal's best athletes ever. Rosa Mota was the first sportswoman from Portugal to win an Olympic gold medal.

She was also the first woman to win more than one Olympic marathon medal. At one point, she held the titles of European, World, and Olympic champion all at the same time! The Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) even named her the greatest female marathon runner of all time.

Biography

Early Life and Training

Rosa Mota was born in Porto, Portugal. When she was in high school, she started running in cross-country races. These are races run over natural terrain, like fields and hills.

In 1980, she met José Pedrosa. He became her personal coach and guided her throughout her entire running career.

First Marathon Wins

Rosa Mota's first marathon race was at the European Championships in 1982. This event took place in Athens, Greece. It was also the very first Women's Marathon ever held at these championships! Even though she wasn't expected to win, Rosa easily beat other runners to take home her first gold medal.

This early success showed how well Rosa Mota would do in her career. She often finished at the top in big marathons. She won a bronze medal in the first Women's Olympic Marathon at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984. Her fastest time in a marathon was 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 29 seconds, which she achieved in the 1985 Chicago Marathon. She won the Chicago Marathon twice.

Olympic and World Wins

Rosa Mota continued her winning streak. She became the European Champion again in 1986. Then, she won the World Champion title in Rome in 1987.

Her biggest win came at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. With only 2 kilometers left in the race, she made a strong move. She won the gold medal, finishing 13 seconds ahead of the silver medalist, Lisa Martin.

Later Career and Retirement

In 1990, Rosa Mota returned to the Boston Marathon and won it for the third time. After that, she aimed to win her third European Marathon Championship in Split. She led the race for a long time, but another runner caught up to her. They battled to the finish line, and Rosa won by just five seconds! Winning three European Championships marathons was a truly amazing achievement.

Even with all her success, Rosa Mota faced health challenges. She had sciatica (nerve pain) and asthma since she was a child. Despite this, she kept winning. In 1991, she won the London Marathon. Later that year, she had to stop during the World Championships in Tokyo. She decided to retire after she couldn't finish the 1992 London Marathon.

Between 1982 and 1992, Rosa Mota ran 21 marathon races. She ran about two marathons each year for ten years and won 14 of them!

Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Portugal
1982	European Championships	Athens, Greece	1st	Marathon	2:36:04
1983	Rotterdam Marathon	Rotterdam, the Netherlands	1st	Marathon	2:32:27
	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	4th	Marathon	2:31:50
	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, United States	1st	Marathon	2:31:12
1984	Olympic Games	Los Angeles, United States	3rd	Marathon	2:26:57
	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, United States	1st	Marathon	2:26:01
1985	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, United States	3rd	Marathon	2:23:29
1986	Tokyo Marathon	Tokyo, Japan	1st	Marathon	2:27:15
	European Championships	Stuttgart, West Germany	1st	Marathon	2:28:38
1987	Boston Marathon	Boston, United States	1st	Marathon	2:25:21
	World Championships	Rome, Italy	1st	Marathon	2:25:17
1988	Boston Marathon	Boston, United States	1st	Marathon	2:24:30
	Olympic Games	Seoul, South Korea	1st	Marathon	2:25:40
1989	Osaka Marathon	Osaka, Japan	--	Marathon	DNF
	Los Angeles Marathon	Los Angeles, United States	2nd	Marathon	2:35:27
1990	Osaka Marathon	Osaka, Japan	1st	Marathon	2:27:47
	Boston Marathon	Boston, United States	1st	Marathon	2:25:24
	European Championships	Split, Yugoslavia	1st	Marathon	2:31:27
1991	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	1st	Marathon	2:26:14
	World Championships	Tokyo, Japan	--	Marathon	DNF
	Lisbon Half Marathon	Lisbon, Portugal	1st	Half marathon	1:09:52
1992	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	--	Marathon	DNF

After Her Running Career

Rosa Mota carrying the IAAF flag at the World Athletics Championships 2007 in Osaka.

Awards and Recognition

After retiring from professional running, Rosa Mota became known as an "Ambassador of Sport." This means she helps promote sports and healthy living. In 1998, she received the Abebe Bikila Award. This award honors people who have helped develop long-distance running training. She received the trophy at a special race sponsored by the United Nations.

Rosa Mota was one of the most beloved sports figures in Portugal during the late 1900s. She is often mentioned alongside other Portuguese sports legends like Eusébio and Luís Figo.

Still Running!

Rosa Mota also had the honor of carrying the Olympic flame through the streets of Athens. This happened before the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece.

Even in recent years, Rosa Mota has returned to competitions. She won the Macau mini-marathon (a 6.3 km race) four times, in 2018, 2019, 2023, and 2024. She has also broken the 10,000-meter record for women aged 65-69 multiple times. Her best time for this distance is 35 minutes and 37 seconds, achieved in the Lisbon São Silvestre race.

See also

In Spanish: Rosa Mota para niños