Érika Alejandra Olivera de la Fuente (born 4 January 1976 in Quinta Normal) is a female marathon runner from Chile and deputy for the Democrats party.[1]

Quick Facts Personal information, Full name ...
Érika Olivera
Olivera in the 2012 Summer Olympics marathon
Personal information
Full nameÉrika Alejandra Olivera de la Fuente
Born (1976-01-04) 4 January 1976 (age 48)
Santiago, Chile
Height1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight55 kg (121 lb)
Sport
Country Chile
SportAthletics
EventMarathon
Medal record
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place1999 WinnipegMarathon
Bronze medal – third place2003 Santo DomingoMarathon
South American Games
Gold medal – first place1994 Valencia3000 m
Gold medal – first place1994 Valencia10000 m
Updated on 13 May 2014
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She has competed at five Olympic Games, the most Olympic appearances ever by a female marathon runner.[2]

Career

She took the gold medal at the 1999 Pan American Games, setting a Pan American Games record at 2:37.41 hours. She won a bronze at the following edition in 2003. Starting in 1996, she represented her native country in three consecutive Summer Olympics, and also the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Olivera made her breakthrough at the junior level in 1994 when she won the 10,000 metres gold and 3000 metres bronze medals at the South American Junior Championships in Athletics. The following year she upgraded to a gold and a silver medal at the Pan American Junior Championships, before going on to complete a hat-trick of medals at the South American Junior Championships – she secured a 10,000 m and 3000 m double and also won the 1500 metres silver behind Bertha Sánchez.[3][4]

Olivera is a two-time winner of the South American Cross Country Championships, having beaten all comers in both the long and short races in 1999.[5] She is a five-time winner and course record holder of the Santiago Marathon.[6] She won the 1995 edition of the Buenos Aires Marathon in Argentina and placed fourth at the 74th Saint Silvester Marathon in 1998.

She enjoyed success on the track at continental level, completing a 10,000 metres/5000 metres silver medal double at both the 1997 and 2003 South American Championships in Athletics. Further to this, she won a silver and a bronze at the 1999 edition of the competition.[7] At the Ibero-American Championships, she has won medals in a number of events, beginning with a 5000 m gold medal and 10,000 m bronze in 1996, the 10,000 m gold at the 2000 edition, and finally a silver medal in the 3000 metres steeplechase in 2002.[8]

Her personal best for the marathon is 2:32:23, set at the 1999 Rotterdam Marathon, which is also the Chilean record for the event. She is also the national record holder over the half marathon, 10,000 m and 5000 m.[9]

After completing the marathon at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Olivera became the first female athlete ever in completing five olympic marathons.[10] Immediately after the race, she announced her retirement from competitive athletics.[11] In November 2016, Olivera announced that her last race as a professional will be at the 2017 Santiago Marathon,[12] on which she completed the half-marathon in 1:38:17.[13][14]

Personal life

Erika Olivera was married with Ricardo Opazo, who was also her coach. Currently her partner is Chilean marathoner Leslie Encina. She has five children.

The athlete has always been critical with regard to sports financing in Chile, indicating the lack of financial support that she has had to overcome during her athletic career.

In 2015 Olivera manifested her intention of starting a political career once she finishes her athletic profession, considering that she will attempt to become a member of the Chilean Congress Cámara de Diputados de Chile, and showing interest in the Renovación Nacional (RN) party.[15]

In 2016 Olivera revealed that her stepfather had sexually abused her during twelve years of her childhood.[16][2]

In the 2017 Chilean general election, Oliveira was elected as a deputy for the RN with 30,784 votes, representing Chile's 9th legislative district which includes Quinta Normal, Cerro Navia, Renca, Lo Prado, Recoleta, Independencia, Huechuraba, and Conchalí. She gained controversy after she compared the campaign of former presidential candidate Alejandro Guillier to the government of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.[17]

Olympic results

More information Olympic Games, Discipline ...
Olympic GamesDisciplinePlaceTime
United States 1996 AtlantaMarathon372:39:06
Australia 2000 SydneyMarathon272:35:07
Greece 2004 AthensMarathon582:57:14
United Kingdom 2012 LondonMarathon642:36:41
Brazil 2016 Rio de JaneiroMarathon1052:50:29
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Note: Olivera missed the 2008 Summer Olympics due to pregnancy.[18]

Personal bests

  • 1500 m: 4:25.61Chile Talca, 11 April 1997
  • 3000 m: 9:21.73Chile Santiago, 1 May 1999
  • 5000 m: 15:51.45Brazil Rio de Janeiro, 20 May 2000
  • 10,000 m: 33:23.12Chile Concepción, 30 November 1996
  • Half marathon: 1:11:54Chile Santiago, 10 September 2000
  • Marathon: 2:32:23Netherlands Rotterdam, 18 April 1999
  • 3000 m steeplechase: 10:48.75Guatemala Guatemala, 11 May 2002

International competitions

More information Year, Competition ...
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  Chile
1992 South American Junior Championships Lima, Perú 6th 3000 m 10:32.7
5th 10,000 m 39:50.2
South American Youth Championships Santiago, Chile 9th 1500 m 4:56.23
5th 3000 m 10:20.73
1993 South American Junior Championships Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela 5th 3000 m 10:13.7
1994 South American Junior Championships Santa Fe, Argentina 3rd 3000 m 9:48.03
1st 10,000 m 34:14.4
World Junior Championships Lisbon, Portugal 7th 10,000 m 34:36.96
South American Games Valencia, Venezuela 1st 3000 m 9:31.06
1st 10,000 m 34:40.9
1995 Pan American Games Mar del Plata, Argentina 7th 5000 m 16:13.76
8th 10,000 m 34.54.42
Pan American Junior Championships Santiago, Chile 2nd 3000 m 9:32.52
1st 10,000 m 34:43.10
South American Junior Championships Santiago, Chile 2nd 1500 m 10:05.42
1st 3000 m 9:30.73
1st 10,000 m 35:27.33
Buenos Aires Marathon Buenos Aires, Argentina 1st Marathon 2:45:02
1996 South American Cross Country Championships Asunción, Paraguay 2nd 6 km 21:51
Ibero-American Championships Medellín, Colombia 1st 5000 m 16:26.13
3rd 10,000 m 34:41.75
Olympic Games Atlanta, Georgia, United States 37th Marathon 2:39:06
1997 South American Cross Country Championships Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina 2nd 6 km 21:31
South American Championships Mar del Plata, Argentina 2nd 5000 m 15:52.27
2nd 10,000 m 33:56.98
1998 South American Games Cuenca, Ecuador 2nd 10,000 m 36:00.0
Saint Silvester Road Race São Paulo, Brazil 4th 15 km 53:33
1999 South American Cross Country Championships - Junior Artur Nogueira, Brazil 1st 4 km 14:05
1st 8 km 29:48
South American Championships Bogotá, Colombia 5th 1500 m 4:49.25
3rd 5000 m 17:15.17
2nd 10,000 m 34:45.70
Pan American Games Winnipeg, Canada 1st Marathon 2:37:41
2000 South American Cross Country Championships Cartagena, Colombia 3rd 4 km 13:24
3rd 8 km 28:12
Ibero-American Championships Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 5th 5000 m 15:51.45
1st 10,000 m 33:39.16
Olympic Games Sydney, Australia 27th Marathon 2:35:07
2002 Ibero-American Championships Guatemala, Guatemala 3000 m DNF
5000 m DNF
2nd 3000 m steeplechase 10:48.5
South American Half Marathon Championships Buenos Aires, Argentina 1st Half marathon 1:14:51
2003 South American Cross Country Championships Asunción, Paraguay 4th 4 km 14:56
3rd 8 km 31:32
South American Championships Barquisimeto, Venezuela 2nd 5000 m 16:23.97
2nd 10,000 m 34:43.02
Pan American Games Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 3rd Marathon 2:44:52
2004 Ibero-American Championships Huelva, Spain 11th 5000 m 17:22.95
Olympic Games Athens, Greece 58th Marathon 2:57:14
2007 South American Cross Country Championships Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 8 km DNF
Pan American Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Marathon DNF
2009 South American Cross Country Championships Concepción, Chile 8th 8 km 29:17
South American Championships Lima, Perú 5000 m DNF
2011 Pan American Games Guadalajara, México 5th Marathon 2:44:06
2012 Olympic Games London, United Kingdom 64th Marathon 2:36:41
2013 World Championships Moscow, Russia Marathon DNF
2014 South American Games Santiago, Chile 6th 5000 m 16:37.84
7th 10,000 m 34:21.93
South American Marathon Championships Santiago, Chile 1st Marathon 2:36:08
2015 South American Championships Lima, Peru 10th 10,000 m 36:14.96
Pan American Games Toronto, Canada 11th Marathon 2:52:27
2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 105th Marathon 2:50:29
2017 Santiago Marathon Santiago, Chile unknown Half marathon 1:38:17
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References

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