António Carlos Pina Zeferino (born 17 January 1966) is a

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

an athlete, specializing in

long-distance running Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance running comes two d ...

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

and

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

. Zeferino, a three-time Olympian, first competed for Cape Verde in a meet in

Maia Maia (; Ancient Greek: Μαῖα; also spelled Maie, ; la, Maia), in ancient Greek religion and mythology, is one of the Pleiades and the mother of Hermes, one of the major Greek gods, by Zeus, the king of Olympus. Family Maia is the daugh ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

setting a national record in the

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, a ...

which still stands today. The following year at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Zeferino made history along with

Henry Andrade Henry Manuel Andrade (born April 17, 1962) is an American- Cape Verdean hurdler. One of the best hurdlers in the United States during the 1980s and early 1990s who, after years of frustration in the American Olympic Trials, achieved his opportun ...

and Isménia do Frederico by becoming the first athletes to represent the tiny African nation at the Olympic Games. In the men's marathon he finished 94th in a time of 2:34:13. The following year he competed in the 1997 World Championships, finishing 37th in the

with a time of 2:25:56. Two years later in February 1999, Zeferino recorded his best ever time in the marathon at the Sevilla Marathon finishing in 2:23:16. Six months later at the 1999 Championships, he finished the

slightly slower in 2:26:03 which placed him in 39th position. At the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Zeferino improved on time and position from four years earlier crossing the line in 67th place in a time of 2:29:46. The following year, he completed at the 2001 World Championships, where he finished the

in 51st place in 2:32:46. Zeferino's final race was the

at the

2004 Athens Games The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

where aged 38, he finished in 78th with a time of 2:36:22. Zeferino also completed in the

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

and the 2003 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships finishing 117th, 91st and 70th respectively and also completed in the

and the 2000 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior men's race where he finished in 141st and 145th place respectively. After retiring from active competition Zeferino became an English teacher in

Barcelos, Portugal Barcelos () is a city and a municipality in Braga District in the Minho Province, in the north of Portugal. The population in 2011 was 120,391, in an area of 378.90 km2. With 60 parishes, it is the municipality with the highest number of par ...

where he resides.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeferino, Antonio 1966 births Living people Cape Verdean male long-distance runners Cape Verdean male marathon runners Cape Verdean steeplechase runners Olympic athletes for Cape Verde Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Place of birth missing (living people) Male steeplechase runners