Rolando Vera (athlete)
Encyclopedia
Rolando Patricio Vera Rodas (born April 27, 1965 in Cuenca
Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca is the capital of the Azuay Province. It is located in the highlands of Ecuador at about 2500 m above sea level...

, Azuay) is a retired long-distance runner from Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

, 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
1987 World Championships in Athletics
The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy between August 28 and September 6, 1987.-Track:1983 | 1987 | 1991 | 1993 | 1995...

. He enjoyed much championship success at the regional level: he was a two-time South American Champion
South American Championships in Athletics
The South American Championships in Athletics is a biennial athletics event organized by CONSUDATLE. The first edition in 1919 was competed between only two countries , but it has since expanded and has generally been held every two years since 1927.In addition, 8 unofficial championships were held...

 on the track and won gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...

s at the South American Games
South American Games
The South American Games , formerly the Southern Cross Games are a regional multi-sport event held between nations from South America, organized by the South American Sports Organization .The first...

 and Bolivarian Games
Bolivarian Games
The Bolivarian Games are a regional multi-sport event held in honor of Simón Bolívar, and organized by the Bolivarian Sports Organization...

, as well as reaching the podium at the Ibero-American Championships
Ibero-American Championships
The Ibero-American Championships in Athletics is a biennial athletics competition for athletes representing Ibero-American countries as well as a number of other Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa...

 and the 1987 Pan American Games
1987 Pan American Games
The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event which was celebrated in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, from 7 August to 23 August 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas competed in 30 sports earning...

.

He won road running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...

 competitions on four continents and was tenth at the 1994 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
1994 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 3rd IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on September 24, 1994 in Oslo, Norway. A total of 215 athletes, 127 men and 88 women, from 47 countries took part.-Individual:-Team:-Individual:-Team:-External links:*...

. Vera won the Saint Silvester Road Race four times consecutively in the 1980s. In 1995 he won both the Los Angeles Marathon
Los Angeles Marathon
The Honda LA Marathon is an annual running event held each spring in Los Angeles, California. The 26.219 mile footrace, inspired by the success of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, has been contested every year since 1986...

 and the Chuncheon Marathon
Chuncheon Marathon
The Chuncheon International Marathon is an annual marathon race which is held in late October in the city of Chuncheon, South Korea. First held in 1946, it is the second oldest marathon in the country after the Seoul International Marathon...

, and he won the Beppu-Ōita Marathon
Beppu-Ōita Marathon
The ' is an annual men's marathon race that takes place every February between the cities of Beppu and Ōita on the island of Kyushu in Japan. First held in 1952 as a 35 km race, the looped marathon course begins at the bottom of Takasaki Mountain and reaches Beppu's Kankoko International Port...

 two years later. At Olympic level he competed in the marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

 on two occasions (1992 and 1996). He remains the Ecuadorian record holder
Ecuadorian records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in Ecuador maintained by Ecuador's national athletics federation: Federación Ecuatoriana de Atletismo .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:+ = en route to a longer distance...

 over 20 km and the half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...

. His personal best in the marathon is 2:10:46 – a time which brought him third at the 1990 Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...

.

Early competition

He began his career on the track and was fourth over 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...

 in 14:24.16 at the 1984 Pan American Junior Championships. He also took part in the 2000 m steeplechase
Steeplechase (athletics)
The steeplechase is an obstacle race in athletics, which derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing.-Rules:The length of the race is usually 3000 m; junior events are 2000 m, as women's events formerly were. The circuit has four ordinary barriers and one water jump. Over 3000 m, each...

, where he finished in sixth. Taking part in the regional competition at the 1986 South American Games, he beat the field (which included continental champion Emilio Ulloa
Emilio Ulloa
Emilio Ulloa Valenzuela is a retired male long-distance runner from Chile. He represented his native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1984.-Achievements:-References:* * *...

) to win in 28:53.90. His first major senior medal came when he took the 10,000 metres bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...

 at the 1986 Ibero-American Championships
1986 Ibero-American Championships
The 1986 Ibero-American Championships was an athletics competition which was held at the Estadio Pedro Marrero in Havana, Cuba from 27–28 September 1986. A total of 36 events, comprising 21 men's and 15 women's events, were contested by sixteen countries...

. 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, the Cascade Run Off in 1987, and the Bolder Boulder
Bolder Boulder
The Bolder Boulder is an annual 10-kilometer road race in Boulder, Colorado. The origin of the name is unknown. The most recent race featured over 54,000 runners, walkers, and wheelchair racers, making it the largest race in the US in which all participants are timed and the fifth largest road race...

 race in 1989.

At the 1987 South American Championships in Athletics
1987 South American Championships in Athletics
The 1987 South American Championships in Athletics were held in São Paulo, Brazil.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics* - GBR Athletics...

 he won the 5000 m gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...

 and a silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....

 in the 10,000 m. Out on the road that year, he took victory at the seven-mile Falmouth Road Race
Falmouth Road Race
The Falmouth Road Race is an annual 7-mile road race on Cape Cod from Woods Hole, a village in the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts, to Falmouth Heights.-History:...

. A second silver of the season at the 1987 Pan American Games
Athletics at the 1987 Pan American Games
The Athletics Competition at the 1987 Pan American Games was held in Indianapolis, United States. The events were competed at the IU Indianapolis Track and Soccer Stadium.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-References:*...

 (behind Bruce Bickford
Bruce Bickford (athlete)
Bruce Emery Bickford is a retired long-distance runner from the United States. He claimed the gold medal at the 1987 Pan American Games in the Men's 10,000 metres, and represented his native country in the 1988 Summer Olympics. He set his personal best in the 10,000 metres in 1985 in Stockholm,...

) preceded his global debut at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics
1987 World Championships in Athletics
The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy between August 28 and September 6, 1987.-Track:1983 | 1987 | 1991 | 1993 | 1995...

, 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. He topped the podium in the men's 10,000 m at the 1989 South American Championships in Athletics
1989 South American Championships in Athletics
The 1989 South American Championships in Athletics were held in Medellín, Colombia.-Men's events:-Women's events:A = affected by altitude-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics* - GBR 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
José Castillo (athlete)
Juan José Castillo Izarra is a retired male long-distance runner from Peru, who is a one-time winner of the Buenos Aires Marathon . He represented his native South American country in the men's 10,000 metres at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.-Achievements:-References: -External links:...

. Vera ran at the Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...

 in April 1990 and finished in third place with a personal best time of 2:10:46. 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
Ecuadorian records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in Ecuador maintained by Ecuador's national athletics federation: Federación Ecuatoriana de Atletismo .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:+ = en route to a longer distance...

 time of 28:08 minutes. In 1991, he was the winner of the Philadelphia Distance Run.

His third appearance on the global stage came at the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...

 and he moved off the track and up to the marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

 distance. He finished in 43rd place, although this was the second best performance by a South American after Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

's Osmiro Silva
Osmiro Silva
Osmiro de Souza Silva is a retired long-distance runner from Brazil, who represented his native country in the men's marathon at the 1992 and at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He won the 1991 edition of the Marrakesh Marathon....

. He also won a bronze over 10,000 m at the 1992 Ibero-American Championships, repeating his performance of four years earlier. The following year Vera retained his 10,000 m title at the 1993 Bolivarian Games. In 1994, he won the Parelloop
Parelloop
Parelloop is an annual 10 kilometres road running competition usually held in late March or early April in Brunssum, the Netherlands. The inaugural edition was held in 1989....

 10 km race in the Netherlands and went on to finish tenth at the 1994 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
1994 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 3rd IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on September 24, 1994 in Oslo, Norway. A total of 215 athletes, 127 men and 88 women, from 47 countries took part.-Individual:-Team:-Individual:-Team:-External links:*...

 in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

 later that year – setting a national record mark of 1:01:36 for the half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...

 distance. On the circuit that year he also won at the Marvejols-Mende in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

Los Angeles winner

He began 1995 with a win at the San Blas Half Marathon in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

, and continued his winning ways at the Los Angeles Marathon
Los Angeles Marathon
The Honda LA Marathon is an annual running event held each spring in Los Angeles, California. The 26.219 mile footrace, inspired by the success of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, has been contested every year since 1986...

 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
Mark Plaatjes
Mark Plaatjes was the marathon champion at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics in Stuttgart.Born in South Africa under apartheid, Plaatjes won two national titles at the marathon and two at cross country...

. After 20 miles, Vera tucked in behind the only remaining leader Bob Kempainen
Bob Kempainen
Robert Kempainen, MD is a retired long-distance runner from the United States, who represented his native country twice at the Summer Olympics, starting in 1992 . He was the 1990 US National Cross Country Champion. He finished 2nd at the 1993 New York City Marathon in 2:11:03...

 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".

He also went on to win at the Chuncheon Marathon
Chuncheon Marathon
The Chuncheon International Marathon is an annual marathon race which is held in late October in the city of Chuncheon, South Korea. First held in 1946, it is the second oldest marathon in the country after the Seoul International Marathon...

 that year. He enjoyed success over the 20 km distance, winning at the Ogden Newspapers Classic 20K in 1995 and the following year. Vera's final Olympic appearance was at the 1996 Atlanta Games
Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics
At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, 44 events in athletics were contested, 24 by men and 20 by women. There were a total number of 2053 participating athletes from 191 countries.-Men:...

 and he was ranked 22nd in the men's Olympic marathon race. He won the Beppu-Ōita Marathon
Beppu-Ōita Marathon
The ' is an annual men's marathon race that takes place every February between the cities of Beppu and Ōita on the island of Kyushu in Japan. First held in 1952 as a 35 km race, the looped marathon course begins at the bottom of Takasaki Mountain and reaches Beppu's Kankoko International Port...

 in 1997 with a time of 2:12:00.

Achievements

Representing
1987 Pan American Games
Athletics at the 1987 Pan American Games
The Athletics Competition at the 1987 Pan American Games was held in Indianapolis, United States. The events were competed at the IU Indianapolis Track and Soccer Stadium.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-References:*...

Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

, USA
2nd 10,000 m
South American Championships
1987 South American Championships in Athletics
The 1987 South American Championships in Athletics were held in São Paulo, Brazil.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics* - GBR Athletics...

São Paulo, Brazil 1st 5,000 m
South American Championships
1987 South American Championships in Athletics
The 1987 South American Championships in Athletics were held in São Paulo, Brazil.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics* - GBR Athletics...

São Paulo, Brazil 2nd 10,000 m
World Championships
1987 World Championships in Athletics
The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy between August 28 and September 6, 1987.-Track:1983 | 1987 | 1991 | 1993 | 1995...

Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

10th 10,000 m
1987 World Championships in Athletics - Men's 10000 metres
The men's 10,000 metres event featured at the 1987 World Championships in Rome, Italy. There were a total number of 30 participating athletes, with the final being held on 29 August 1987.-Medalists:-Records:...

1988 Olympic Games
Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics
At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul a total number of 42 events in athletics were contested: 24 by men and 18 by women. There were a total number of 1617 participating athletes from 149 countries.-Men's events:...

Seoul, South Korea 15th 10,000 m
1989 South American Championships
1989 South American Championships in Athletics
The 1989 South American Championships in Athletics were held in Medellín, Colombia.-Men's events:-Women's events:A = affected by altitude-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics* - GBR Athletics...

Medellín, Colombia 1st 10,000 m
1992 Olympic Games
Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics
At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, 43 events in athletics were contested, 24 events by men and 19 by women. The competition ran from July 31, 1992 to August 9, 1992. Fourteen world record-holders were among the contenders...

Barcelona, Spain 43rd Marathon
1993 World Championships
1993 World Championships in Athletics
The 4th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart, Germany between August 13 and August 22 with the participation of 187 nations....

Stuttgart, Germany DNF 10,000 m
1995 Los Angeles Marathon
Los Angeles Marathon
The Honda LA Marathon is an annual running event held each spring in Los Angeles, California. The 26.219 mile footrace, inspired by the success of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, has been contested every year since 1986...

Los Angeles, United States
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

1st Marathon
1996 Olympic Games
Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics
At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, 44 events in athletics were contested, 24 by men and 20 by women. There were a total number of 2053 participating athletes from 191 countries.-Men:...

Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

22nd Marathon
1997 Beppu-Ōita Marathon
Beppu-Ōita Marathon
The ' is an annual men's marathon race that takes place every February between the cities of Beppu and Ōita on the island of Kyushu in Japan. First held in 1952 as a 35 km race, the looped marathon course begins at the bottom of Takasaki Mountain and reaches Beppu's Kankoko International Port...

Beppu-Ōita
Oita
-Companies:*Oita Asahi Broadcasting, a Japanese broadcast network in Oita Prefecture, Japan*Oita Broadcasting System, a television company based in Ōita Prefecture, Japan-Education:*Oita Junior College, a private junior college in Ōita, Ōita Prefecture, Japan...

, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

1st Marathon

External links

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