Luíz Antônio dos Santos (6 September 1964 – 6 November 2021) was a Brazilian

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

who specialized in the

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 ...

. Born in

Volta Redonda Volta Redonda () is the name of a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro state of Brazil with an area of 182.81 km2, located from 350m to 707m above the sea level (22°31'23" S, 44°06'15" W) an ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, he was a World Championships bronze medalist and a 1996 Olympian. He twice won the Chicago Marathon and also won the Fukuoka Marathon.

Career

Santos's first international appearances came in

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

. He was part of the Brazilian team at the

IAAF World Cross Country Championships World Athletics Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Formerly held annually and organised by World Athletics (formerly the IAAF), it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the Int ...

in 1991 and 1993, as well as being in the top eight at the

South American Cross Country Championships The South American Cross Country Championships is an annual continental cross country running competition for athletes from South America or, more specifically, member countries of CONSUDATLE. It was first held in 1986, making it the oldest of t ...

in 1992, 1993 and 1994, sharing in the team gold at the latter two editions. He ran four times at the

IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The World Athletics Half Marathon Championships is a biennial international half marathon competition organised by World Athletics. The competition was launched as the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 1992 and held annually until 2010. It ...

(1993, 1994, 1999, 2001) with his best finish being 22nd in 1994.Luiz-Antonio dosSantos

Association of Road Racing Statisticians The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics regarding road running races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road record ...

. Retrieved 21 February 2018. He made his marathon debut in

Blumenau Blumenau is a city in Vale do Itajaí, state of Santa Catarina (Brazil), Santa Catarina, in the South Region, Brazil, South Region of Brazil. It is away from the state capital of Florianópolis. The city was founded by the German chemist an ...

in 1993, winning the race in a time of 2:12:15. Later that year he won the Chicago Marathon with a time of 2:13:14. This made him the third Brazilian man to win that race, following on from victories by

Joseildo Rocha Joseildo Rocha da Silva (born 20 February 1965) is a Brazilian long-distance runner. He won the 1991 Chicago Marathon, the marathon event at the 1991 South American Championships in Athletics, and the 1993 Los Angeles Marathon. Da Silva compet ...

and José Cesar de Souza in the two years previous. He performed less well on his next outing in 1994, failing to finish in

Gyeongju Gyeongju ( ko, 경주, ), historically known as ''Seorabeol'' ( ko, 서라벌, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, ...

, but set a personal best at the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...

with a time of 2:10:39 hours for thirteenth place. He repeated as winner at the Chicago Marathon, claiming the title again in 2:11:16 hours. The 1995 season proved to be a career high. He was third at the

1995 Boston Marathon The 1995 Boston Marathon was the 99th running of the annual marathon race in Boston, United States, which was held on April 17. The elite men's race was won by Kenya's Cosmas Ndeti in a time of 2:09:22 hours and the women's race was won by Germany ...

, recording a time of 2:11:02 hours, then took the bronze medal at the 1995 World Championships – his international debut at that distance. He ended his successful year with wins at the

São Paulo Marathon SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S ...

and the high level Fukuoka Marathon, where his clocking 2:09:30 was a new personal best. Despite being eleventh at the 1996 Boston Marathon, he represented his native country in the men's marathon 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, ...

, finishing in tenth place. He attempted a title defence in Fukuoka, but came third overall. He began the 1997 season with sixth place at the Rotterdam Marathon in a lifetime best time of 2:08:55 hours. He placed fifth at the

1997 World Championships in Athletics The 6th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Amateur Athletic Federation, were held at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece between August 1 and August 10, 1997. In this event participated 1882 athletes from 19 ...

, which led the Brazilian men to the team bronze medal in the

1997 World Marathon Cup The 1997 World Marathon Cup was the seventh edition of the World Marathon Cup of athletics and were held in Athens, Greece, inside of the 1997 World Championships. Results See also *1997 World Championships in Athletics – Men's Mara ...

.IAAF World Marathon Cup
GBR Athletics. Retrieved 21 February 2018. Santos was runner-up at the

Rio de Janeiro Marathon Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

in 1998 and came eleventh in Chicago later that year. He made three marathon appearances in 1999: fourth at the

Tokyo International Marathon The Tokyo International Marathon was a marathon for male elite runners held in Tokyo, Japan, from 1980 until 2006. It actually consisted of two marathons - the ''Tokyo International Marathon'' which took place on even years, and ''Tokyo-New York Fr ...

, eighth in São Paulo and fifth in

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

. His performances declined thereafter, though he made two more international appearances for Brazil in the

South American Marathon Cup South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz' ...

International competitions

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Santos, Luiz Antonio dos 1964 births 2021 deaths People from Volta Redonda Brazilian male long-distance runners Brazilian male marathon runners Brazilian male cross country runners Olympic athletes of Brazil Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for Brazil World Athletics Championships medalists Chicago Marathon male winners Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro (state) 20th-century Brazilian people 21st-century Brazilian people