Norma Enriqueta "Queta" Basilio Sotelo (15 July 1948 – 26 October 2019) was a Mexican

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athlete. She was born in

Mexicali Mexicali (; ) is the capital city of the States of Mexico, Mexican state of Baja California. The city, which is the seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali, Cale ...

, capital of

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

. She came from an athletic family; her father was a cotton farmer. Her Polish coach, Włodzimierz Puzio, moved her from high jumping to hurdling. She made history by becoming the first woman to

light Light, visible light, or visible radiation is electromagnetic radiation that can be visual perception, perceived by the human eye. Visible light spans the visible spectrum and is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400– ...

the

Olympic Cauldron The Olympic flame is a symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. The Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece, several months before the Olympic Games. This ceremony starts the Olymp ...

. She was the last torch-bearer of the 19th Summer Olympics in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

on 12 October 1968. She was a national athletics champion and record-holder in

80 metres hurdles 80 metres hurdles is a distance in hurdling run by women until 1972 in international competitions. Since the 1972 Summer Olympics, the event has been permanently replaced by the 100 metre hurdles. Masters athletics The distance, with different sp ...

and finished seventh in this event at the

1967 Pan American Games The 1967 Pan American Games, officially known as the V Pan American Games () and commonly known as Winnipeg 1967, were held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from July 23 to August 6, 1967. Winnipeg was chosen as host of the Pan American Games on ...

. At the 1968 Olympics she was eliminated in the heats of the 400 metres, 80 metres hurdles and 4 × 100 metres relay events.Enriqueta Basilio
Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-05-05. In 1970, she took bronze in the

Central American and Caribbean Games The Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC or CACGs) are a multi-sport regional championship event, held quadrennial (once every four years), typically in the middle (even) year between Summer Olympics. The games are for 32 countries and ...

relay. She married the basketball player Mario Álvarez, who was later secretary to the

Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...

state governor. She was widowed with three young children when he died in an aeroplane accident. She studied sociology at the

National Autonomous University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...

and became a federal deputy for the

Institutional Revolutionary Party The Institutional Revolutionary Party (, , PRI) is a List of political parties in Mexico, political party in Mexico that was founded in 1929 as the National Revolutionary Party (, PNR), then as the Party of the Mexican Revolution (, PRM) and fin ...

(PRI) during the

LVIII Legislature of the Mexican Congress The LVIII Legislature of the Congress of the Union of Mexico (58th Congress) met from 1 September 2000 to 31 August 2003. All 628 members of the two chambers of Congress were elected in the elections of July 2000. Senators of the LVIII Legisla ...

. She became a permanent member of the Mexico Olympic Committee and was part of the 2004 Olympic torch relay when it was passing through

. In 2014, she was amongst 6,500 people defrauded of their savings in a money-lending business scam. She died of pneumonia on 26 October 2019, aged 71. On 15 October 2020, the small moon of

trojan Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * '' Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 18 ...

asteroid

3548 Eurybates 3548 Eurybates ( ) is a carbonaceous Jupiter trojan from the Greek camp and the parent body of the Eurybates family, approximately in diameter. It is a target to be visited by the Lucy (spacecraft), ''Lucy'' mission in August 2027. Discovered dur ...

was named ''Queta'' after her, making her the first Olympic athlete honored in this way.

References

External links

The Mexican Legislative Branch Official Website
*Sánchez Hidalgo, "Nuestros Juegos México 68", Published by "Comité Olímpico Mexicano" (Mexican Olympic Committee). 2003

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basilio, Enriqueta 1948 births 2019 deaths Sportspeople from Mexicali Mexican female sprinters Mexican female hurdlers Olympic athletes for Mexico Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics Pan American Games competitors for Mexico Athletes (track and field) at the 1967 Pan American Games Competitors at the 1970 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games bronze medalists for Mexico Olympic cauldron lighters 21st-century Mexican women politicians Politicians from Baja California Institutional Revolutionary Party politicians Women members of the Chamber of Deputies (Mexico) Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics Deputies of the LVIII Legislature of Mexico National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni