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Zulia Calatayud

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Zulia Calatayud
Personal information
Full nameZulia Inés Calatayud Torres
Born (1979-11-09) November 9, 1979 (age 45)
Playa, Havana
Height1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight59 kg (130 lb)
Sport
Country Cuba
SportAthletics
Updated on 24 June 2013

Zulia Inés Calatayud Torres (born November 9, 1979, in Havana) is a Cuban runner competing mostly in the 800 metres event.

Early career

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Calatayud, who attended Havana's Manuel Permuy Sports School, got involved in athletics to help her deal with her asthma. She first gained prominence by reaching the semi-finals of the 400m at the 1998 World Junior Championships in Annecy, France.[citation needed] In 1999, she ran 2:00.67 to finish second at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada. She finished sixth in the 800m at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. 2000 was also notable to Calatayud because she went under the 2-minute barrier, first doing so when she ran 1:59.63 in Jena, Germany.

In 2002, Calatayud became the 30th-fastest woman ever in her event, running 1:56.09 at the Herculis Golden League meeting, in Monaco.[1] It was to be her last competition for 19 months, as dual shin injuries kept the 22-year-old from even being able to train. She made a successful return to competition, not only qualifying for the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, but making her second consecutive Olympics final, finishing eighth.

World domination

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A consistent 2005 season prefaces Calatayud's participation in the IAAF World Championships, in Helsinki. She ran a season's best 1:57.92 in her semi-final, her second fastest ever, and In the final matched every move made by Mutola and world leader, Tatyana Andrianova. In 1:58.82, Zulia Calatayud had become a World Champion.[2][3] She ended the 2005 season with a convincing victory at the World Athletics Final in Monaco. The winning streak landed her atop the IAAF World Rankings, replacing Mutola who had led since the rankings were introduced in 2001.

For the 2006 season, Calatayud picked up where she left off a few months prior. She clocked her second fastest time ever (1:56.91) when placing third at the Athletissima meeting, in Lausanne, in July. She claimed the 800m crown at the 20th Central American and Caribbean Games, in Cartagena, Colombia, but after 51 consecutive weeks, she lost the No.1 spot in the rankings to Kenya's African and Commonwealth champion Janeth Jepkosgei. Nonetheless, Calatayud ended 2006 on a high note, winning the World Athletics Final[4] and World Cup on consecutive weekends, beating rival Jepkosgei on both occasions. She was selected as Cuban and Latin American sportswoman of the year in an annual survey conducted by Prensa Latina. A total of 115 media outlets from Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, Europe and the United States participated in the survey.[5]

Injury again

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In 2007, Calatayud was injured again, this time her season did not get underway until June, but after six weeks of training, she took a bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. She also ran the third leg as the Cuban team won the 4 × 400 m relay gold with Daimí Pernía, Aymée Martínez and Indira Terrero.[6] Since 2006, Calatayud has not made a major world final, falling in the semifinals at the World World Championships in Osaka 2007 and Berlin 2009, as well as the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. In 2009, Calatayud won the 800 at the 22nd Central American and Caribbean Athletics Championships in Havana, Cuba, in the Estadio Panamericano.[7]

Personal bests

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  • 200 Metres – 24.33 01/01/1998
  • 400 metres 50.87 (Alcalá de Henares 30/06/2001)
  • 800 metres – 1:56.09 (Monaco 19/07/2002)
  • 1000 metres – 2:34.31 (Bruxelles 30/08/2002)
  • 1500 metres – 4:21.73 (La Habana 23/03/2006)

Achievements

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Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Cuba
1998 World Junior Championships Annecy, France 10th (sf) 400 m 53.65 s
1999 Pan American Games Winnipeg, Canada 2nd 800 m 2:00.67 min
1st 4 × 400 m relay 3:26.70 min
World Championships Sevilla, Spain 19th (h) 800 m 2:00.93 min
7th 4 × 400 m relay 3:29.19 min
2000 Olympic Games Sydney, Australia 6th 800 m 1:58.66 min
8th 4 × 400 m relay 3:29.47 min
2001 World Championships Edmonton, Canada 5th (sf) 800 m 2:01.04 min
Goodwill Games Brisbane, Australia 4th 800 m 2:00.94 min
Grand Prix Final Melbourne, Australia 4th 800 m 2:00.89 min
2002 IAAF World Cup Madrid, Spain 4th 800 m 1:59.44 min
2004 Ibero-American Championships Huelva, Spain 1st 800 m 2:01.30 min
Olympic Games Athens, Greece 8th 800 m 2:00.95 min
2005 World Championships Helsinki, Finland 1st 800 m 1:58.82 min
World Athletics Final Monaco 1st 800 m 1:59.07 min
2006 Central American and Caribbean Games Cartagena, Colombia 1st 800 m 2:05.26 min
3rd 4 × 400 m relay 3:36.34 min
World Athletics Final Stuttgart, Germany 1st 800 m 1:59.02
IAAF World Cup Athens, Greece 1st 800 m 2:00.06 min
2007 Pan American Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 3rd 800 m 2:00.34 min
1st 4 × 400 m relay 3:27.51 min
World Championships Osaka, Japan 24th (sf) 800 m 2:06.97 min
7th 4 × 400 m relay 3:27.05 min
2008 Olympic Games Beijing, China 10th (sf) 800 m 1:58.78
6th 4 × 400 m relay 3:23.21 min NR
2009 ALBA Games Havana, Cuba 1st 800 m 2:05.58 min
1st 4 × 400 m relay 3:35.04 min
Central American and Caribbean Championships Havana, Cuba 1st 800 m 2:01.63 min
World Championships Berlin, Germany 16th (sf) 800 m 2:01.53 min
8th 4 × 400 m relay 3:36.99 min

800m progression

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2009 2:00.20 Huelva 10/06/2009
2008 1:58.78 Beijing (National Stadium) 16/08/2008
2007 2:00.34 Rio de Janeiro 24/07/2007
2006 1:56.91 Lausanne 11/07/2006
2005 1:57.92 Helsinki 07/08/2005
2004 1:59.21 Athens (Olympic Stadium) 21/08/2004
2002 1:56.09 Monaco 19/07/2002
2001 1:58.60 Monaco 20/07/2001
2000 1:58.66 Sydney 25/09/2000
1999 2:00.67 Winnipeg 25/07/1999
1997 2:12.7 01/01/1997
1996 2:13.80 01/01/1996
1995 2:18.9 01/01/1995

References

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  1. ^ IAAF Top Lists, women's 800m, IAAF, 9 November 2010, retrieved 2010-11-09
  2. ^ "10th IAAF World Championship in Athletics". World Athletics. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  3. ^ "Quirot's heir". IAAF. August 9, 2005. Archived from the original on August 3, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  4. ^ "Women's 800m". IAAF. September 10, 2006. Archived from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  5. ^ "Cubas Zulia Calatayud top Latin American female athlete". Cuba Headlines. December 23, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  6. ^ "Dylan Armstrong and Diane Cummins win gold at Pan Am Games". Athletics Canada. July 24, 2007. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  7. ^ "Culson prevails over Sanchez as six more records fall – CAC Champs Final Day". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
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