Carmen Valero, Spain’s first female Olympian, died on Tuesday at the age of 68.
Valero’s death was announced by the Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA), adding that the famous distance runner died of a stroke late last year. “We have lost a woman who was the mother of our athletics and the first female Olympian,” the RFEA said in a statement.
Valero, who started running at the age of 8, was Spanish champion several times over various distances (800, 1500, 3000 and 5000 m) and twice world cross-country champion (1976, 1977).
Valero became Spain’s first female Olympian in 1976, when she competed in the Montreal Olympics at age 20, competing in the 800 and 1500 metres. Unfortunately, the Spaniard failed to pass the preliminaries and years later she admitted in a statement to AS that the 1500 m run in Montreal was one of the worst performances of her career.
Valero’s sporting career ended in 1987. In 2001 she was chosen as the best Spanish athlete of the 20th century.
World Athletics is deeply saddened to learn that Carmen Valero, Spain’s world cross-country champion in 1976 and 1977, died on Tuesday (2) in her hometown of Sabadell at the age of 68.
Real Federación Espanola de Atletismo
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) January 2, 2024
2024-01-05 10:53:00
spains-first-female-olympian-athletics-has-died
#Spains #female #Olympian #Athletics #died