Raidel Acea Morales (born 21 October 1990) is a Cuban-born

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete who competes for Portugal in the

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics (sport), athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor runn ...

and

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the ...

events. The 2009 Pan American junior champion over 800 m, he won the bronze medal in the event at the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...

. Born and raised in the Cuban city of

Cienfuegos Cienfuegos (), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about from Havana and has a population of 150,000. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, especial ...

, Acea began taking part in athletics at the age of ten and started out as a 400 m runner. As he grew older, he began running in the 800 m as well upon the advice of the coaches at his local high performance sports centre. His first successes came at the age of eighteen in the 2009 season. After placing third at the Rafael Fortún Memorial he claimed the 800 m

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

at the 2009 ALBA Games.Aplausos en deuda para Raidel
. 5septiembre.cu (30 August 2011). Retrieved on 8 November 2011. He ran an 800 m best of 1:46.68 minutes for third at the Barrientos Memorial in May then ran a 400 m personal best of 46.19 seconds the following month. His season ended on a high as he won the 800 m title for Cuba at the 2009 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships. In 2010, Acea faltered in his first year as a senior athlete. He managed third over 800 m at both the Barrientos meet and the Olimpiada del Deporte Cubano, but did not improve in his performances. Acea judged that he needed the season to adjust to the higher senior level. He made his senior breakthrough the very next season, starting with an 800 m win at the Copa Cuba national championships, where he was also second over 400 m.Raidel Acea
Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 8 November 2011. A duel between Acea and his more senior rival Andy González proved to be a highlight of the Barrientos Memorial, and it was the younger Cuban who won and set a personal best of 1:45.62 minutes. He won medals at the 2011 ALBA Games, claiming the 800 m title and taking a silver medal with Cuba's

4×400 metres relay Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

team. He was chosen to represent Cuba at the

and while his older compatriot González won the 800 m title, Acea earned the

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...

with his sprint finish. He reached the podium for a second time at the event as part of Cuba's 4 × 400 m relay squad: Noel Ruíz, Acea, Omar Cisneros and

William Collazo William Collazo Gutiérrez (born 31 August 1986 in Antilla, Holguín) is a Cuban sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres. Career He won a bronze medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships. ...

dipped under three minutes to win the relay gold.Men's 4x400m Relay Final
. Guadalajara2011. Retrieved on 8 November 2011.

Personal bests

* 400 m: 45.18 s –

La Habana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, 26 May 2015 * 800 m: 1:45.62 min –

La Habana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, 28 May 2011

Achievements

References

External links

* *
Tilastopaja biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acea, Raidel 1990 births Living people People from Cienfuegos Athletes (track and field) at the 2011 Pan American Games Cuban male sprinters Cuban male middle-distance runners Portuguese male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Cuba Pan American Games bronze medalists for Cuba World Athletics Championships athletes for Cuba Pan American Games gold medalists for Cuba Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) S.L. Benfica athletes Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Cuba Competitors at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games