SPORT AMAZON- MARIA MUTOLA

Date:

By Yemi Babalola, Lagos

 

 

African track and field star, Maria Mutola popularly called ‘Maputo Express’ is the amazon we would be looking at for the week. She is one of the pioneering field star in the African continent.

Mutola was born on October 27 1972 in a city known then as Lourenco Marques, which was on the outskirt of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, which is her country of origin. She showed interest in sport though specifically football from an early age. Mutola was fond of playing with the opposite sex, which braced her up physically. At the age of 15, she took keen interest in athletics due to encouragement from famous Mozambique’s poet Jose Craveirinha. Craveirinha’s son was Mutola’s first coach.

Having been denied the opportunity to join Benfica athletics club in 1988, Mutola instead took her disappointment in stride and went on to win the silver medal in the 800 meters race at the 1988 African championships held in Annaba, Algeria. This was the beginning of her competitive career in athletics. Mutola also participated at her first Olympics in the same year as a 15-year old though she failed to progress to the semi-finals.

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Mutola has enjoyed the athletics stage in every major event; in the Olympics, she has a two-medal record, winning her first Olympic medal at the 1996 Atlanta, where she won Bronze medal in the 800-meters race. At the Sydney Olympics of year 2000, she won Gold medal in the same race.

At the World Championships event Mutola made her mark also, in the events from 1993 to 2005, she accumulated three Gold medals, one silver medal and two Bronze medals. While in the World Indoor Championships, from 1993 to 2008, she won seven Gold medals, a silver medal and a bronze medal.

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MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE- MAY 16: (Japan Out/Italy Out/Greece Out) Maria Mutola, 800m runner of Mozambique and Olympic favourite for Athens on May 16, 2004 in Maputo, Mozambique. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images/IAAF)

The African championships too favoured Mutola as between 1990 and 2008 she has five Gold medals (one of which was won in the 1500 meters) and three Silver medals. Mutola also excelled at the All-Africa Games as she scooped Gold medals in the three appearances she has made in the event from 1991 to 1999.

Representing Africa at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Continental CupMutola won Gold in every of her appearance in the 800 meters race from 1992 to 2002. At the Commonwealth Games, she won Gold medals in the Commonwealth Games hosted in Kuala Lumpur and Manchester. While winning Bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games hosted in Melbourne, Australia in 2006.

Outside the tracks, Mutola’s hard work is recognized and that is why she won the Track & Field athlete of the year in 2003. In the same year, She was appointed an honorary United Nations youth ambassador and this recognition was due to her athletic achievements.

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Mutola retired from athletics having dominated the 800 meters race largely for two decades in 2008 at the age of 35. Though she retired from athletics she went on to pursue her first love, which is football where she played in the South African women’s league for Mamelodi Sundowns and captained the Mozambican female national team in 2011 during the All-Africa Games.

Currently Mutola coaches South African track and field star, Caster Semenya. She also has her Lurdes Mutola Foundation whose mission is to assist young children in achieving their sporting and educational potential.

 

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