Rolando Vera (athlete)

Rolando Vera
Personal information
Full name Rolando Patricio Vera Rodas
Born (1965-04-27) April 27, 1965
Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador
Sport
Country  Ecuador
Sport Men's athletics
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals 1988 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Ecuador
Pan American Games
1987 Indianapolis 5000 m
South American Games
1986 Santiago 10,000 m
1986 Santiago 5,000 m
South American Championships
1987 São Paulo 5000 m
1989 Medellín 10,000 m
1987 São Paulo 10,000 m
Bolivarian Games
1989 Maracaibo 10,000 m
1993 Cochabamba 10,000 m
1989 Maracaibo 5000 m
This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Vera and the second or maternal family name is Rodas.

Rolando Patricio Vera Rodas (born April 27, 1965 in Cuenca, Azuay) is a retired long-distance runner from Ecuador, who represented his native country at three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1988. He reached the top ten of the 10,000 metres at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics. He enjoyed much championship success at the regional level: he was a two-time South American Champion on the track and won gold medals at the South American Games and Bolivarian Games, as well as reaching the podium at the Ibero-American Championships and the 1987 Pan American Games.

He won road running competitions on four continents and was tenth at the 1994 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. Vera won the Saint Silvester Road Race four times consecutively in the 1980s. In 1995 he won both the Los Angeles Marathon and the Chuncheon Marathon, and he won the Beppu-Ōita Marathon two years later. At Olympic level he competed in the marathon on two occasions (1992 and 1996). He remains the Ecuadorian record holder over 20 km and the half marathon. His personal best in the marathon is 2:10:46 – a time which brought him third at the 1990 Boston Marathon.

Career

Early competition

He began his career on the track and was fourth over 5000 metres in 14:24.16 at the 1984 Pan American Junior Championships. He also took part in the 2000 m steeplechase, where he finished in sixth.[1] Taking part in the regional competition at the 1986 South American Games, he beat the field (which included continental champion Emilio Ulloa) to win in 28:53.90.[2] His first major senior medal came when he took the 10,000 metres bronze medal at the 1986 Ibero-American Championships.[3] He also won the Saint Silvester Road Race that year – a competition he won four times consecutively up to 1989. Other road victories over this period included the Cherry Creek Sneak 5 Mile in 1986,[4] the Cascade Run Off in 1987,[5] and the Bolder Boulder race in 1989.[6]

At the 1987 South American Championships in Athletics he won the 5000 m gold medal and a silver medal in the 10,000 m. Out on the road that year, he took victory at the seven-mile Falmouth Road Race. A second silver of the season at the 1987 Pan American Games (behind Bruce Bickford) preceded his global debut at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, where he finished in tenth and was the only South American athlete in the race. His time of 28:20.24 was also a record for a South American under-23 athlete.

At the 1988 Bolder Boulder he won the 10k with a time of 29:07. Rosa Mota won the women's 10k that year.

Olympic debut

Vera made his Olympic debut at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and reached the final of the 10,000 m, finishing in 15th place.[7] He topped the podium in the men's 10,000 m at the 1989 South American Championships in Athletics, winning his first continental title. He doubled up at the 1989 Bolivarian Games and won the 10,000 m as well as taking silver in the 5000 m behind José Castillo.[8] Vera ran at the Boston Marathon in April 1990 and finished in third place with a personal best time of 2:10:46.[9] A month later he competed in the inaugural Trib 10K race in San Diego and, although still tired from his efforts in Boston, he won the race in an Ecuadorian record time of 28:08 minutes.[10][11] In 1991, he was the winner of the Philadelphia Distance Run.[12]

His third appearance on the global stage came at the 1992 Summer Olympics and he moved off the track and up to the marathon distance. He finished in 43rd place, although this was the second best performance by a South American after Brazil's Osmiro Silva.[13] He also won a bronze over 10,000 m at the 1992 Ibero-American Championships, repeating his performance of four years earlier.[3] The following year Vera retained his 10,000 m title at the 1993 Bolivarian Games.[8] In 1994, he won the Parelloop 10 km race in the Netherlands and went on to finish tenth at the 1994 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Oslo later that year – setting a national record mark of 1:01:36 for the half marathon distance.[14] On the circuit that year he also won at the Marvejols-Mende in France.[15]

Los Angeles winner

He began 1995 with a win at the San Blas Half Marathon in Puerto Rico,[16] and continued his winning ways at the Los Angeles Marathon where he ran a very tactical race, which was held in poor weather conditions. Vera's outright refusal to take his turn at the front of the leading pack (and thus bear his share of the wind and rain) angered the reigning marathon world champion Mark Plaatjes. After 20 miles, Vera tucked in behind the only remaining leader Bob Kempainen and defied Kempainen's attempts to shake him off – following his zig-zag movements across the road. Finally taking the lead in the final stages, Vera enjoyed a tailwind and won the race in 2:11:39 (twenty seconds ahead of the other runners). Kempainen later commented: "I kept trying to get him out front to take the lead, but I couldn't very well turn around and ask him to do it...I guess he ran it smart".[17]

He also went on to win at the Chuncheon Marathon that year.[18] He enjoyed success over the 20 km distance, winning at the Ogden Newspapers Classic 20K in 1995 and the following year.[19] Vera's final Olympic appearance was at the 1996 Atlanta Games and he was ranked 22nd in the men's Olympic marathon race.[7] He won the Beppu-Ōita Marathon in 1997 with a time of 2:12:00.[20]

International competitions

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Ecuador
1986 Ibero-American Championships La Habana, Cuba 3rd 10,000m 30:10.05
South American Games Santiago, Chile 2nd 5,000 m
1st 10,000 m 28:53.90
1987 Pan American Games Indianapolis, United States 2nd 10,000 m 28:22.56
South American Championships São Paulo, Brazil 1st 5,000 m 14:03.00
2nd 10,000 m 29:19.16
World Championships Rome, Italy 10th 10,000 m 28:20.24
1988 Olympic Games Seoul, South Korea 15th 10,000 m 28:17.64
1989 South American Championships Medellín, Colombia 1st 10,000 m 29:28.1 A
Bolivarian Games Maracaibo, Venezuela 2nd 5000 m 14:24.64
1st 10,000 m 29:54.22
1992 Ibero-American Championships Seville, Spain 3rd 10,000 m 28:55.16
Olympic Games Barcelona, Spain 43rd Marathon 2:21:30
1993 World Championships Stuttgart, Germany — 10,000 m DNF
Bolivarian Games Cochabamba, Bolivia 1st 10,000 m 30:16.49 A
1995 Los Angeles Marathon Los Angeles, United States 1st Marathon 2:11:39
1996 Olympic Games Atlanta, Georgia 22nd Marathon 2:17:40
1997 Beppu-Ōita Marathon Beppu-Ōita, Japan 1st Marathon 2:12:00

References

  1. ↑ 1984 Pan American Junior Championships. World Junior Athletics History. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  2. ↑ South American (ODESUR) Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  3. 1 2 Ibero American Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  4. ↑ Cherry Creek Sneak 5 Mile. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2010-04-28). Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  5. ↑ Gasparovic, Juraj (2007-10-20). Cascade Runoff 15 km.Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  6. ↑ Castro, Rich & Post, Marty (2010-06-03). Boulder CO/USA. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  7. 1 2 Rolando Vera. Sports-reference. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  8. 1 2 Bolivarian Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  9. ↑ Concannon, Joe (1990-04-17). Bordin and Mota Lead Foreign Pack. The Boston Globe. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  10. ↑ Geis, John (1990-05-21). Vera Runs Smart, Wins Trib 10 Kilometer. LA Times. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  11. ↑ Hejda, Antonin (2010-09-01). National Records- 10 kilometers Road. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  12. ↑ Philadelphia Distance Run Half Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2010-09-20). Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  13. ↑ Athletics at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Games:Men's Marathon. Sports-reference. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  14. ↑ Csiki, György & Hejda, Antonin (2010-09-21). National Records- Half Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  15. ↑ Marvejols-Mende 22.4 km. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  16. ↑ San Blas Half Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2010-02-08). Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  17. ↑ Hodges, Jim (1995-03-06). Los Angeles Marathon - It's a Vera Good Day in Rain in L.A.. LA Times. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  18. ↑ Chosunilbo Chunchon Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2009-12-27). Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  19. ↑ Monti, Dave (2010-06-04). Ogden Newspapers Classic 20K. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
  20. ↑ Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon. ARRS (2009-12-24). Retrieved on 2010-09-23.
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