Rene Gamarcha Herrera (born April 24, 1979) is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

International Association of Athletics Federations - IAAF, (2011
''"Herrera Rene,"'' Philippine Athlete
Biographies: Home of world athletics.Luarca, Roy (2011
''"SEA Games: Rene Herrera defends steeplechase crown as athletics gets going"'', Philippine Daily Inquirer
November 11th

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. In total he has won 5 gold medals at South East Asian games. Currently, Herrera is one of the newly appointed coaches of the Philippines national athletics team.

Early life

Herrera was born and raised in Jordan, Guimaras. He is the son of Rodrigo Herrera, an establishment janitor, and Nenita, a former housekeeper.Melendres, Ted S. (2012
Rene Herrera takes crack at 5,000m
Philippine Daily Inquirer August 8th, Herrera started running at

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

although, for a time, he was primarily an amateur boxer, competing in that event until the age 17. He stopped boxing with a record of 20 fights and 5 loses. Subsequently, Herrera entered the annual Milo

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 ...

that he won, enabling him to qualify for national competitions.Dyan Castillejo and Rose Eclarinal (201
''"Filipino Olympian: Rene Herrera"'', ABS-CBNnews.com Sports
Retrieved ''07/21'' Herrera is a Philippine Navy seaman, 2nd class and has competed in Southeast Asian, Asian and Olympic Games.

Career

2012 Summer Olympics

2012 London Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, Herrera made his Olympics racing debut in the

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...

. He qualified for the Olympics after winning silver at the Hong Kong Intercity Athletics Championships and becoming a five time gold medalist for the Southeast Asian games. He was the oldest competitor for the Philippines at the Olympics On August 8, 2012 in

Olympic stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

, Herrera finished in 41st place, in a time of 14:44.11, his personal’s best in the 5000 metres. However, Herrera did not advance at heats to the finals.

Achievements

Herrera competes in the 3000 meter

Steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

Pirie Enzo, Hyper Sports (2011
''" Rene Herrera, Athletics – 3000m Steeplechase"'', Featured Athlete
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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 ...

events.

Personal Bests

Competition record

Notes: *NR - National Record *PB - Personals best *NR - National Record *SB - Seasonal Best

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herrera, Rene 1979 births Living people Filipino male long-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the Philippines Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Asian Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Asian Games Sportspeople from Guimaras Filipino male steeplechase runners SEA Games medalists in athletics SEA Games gold medalists for the Philippines Competitors at the 2003 SEA Games Competitors at the 2005 SEA Games Competitors at the 2007 SEA Games Competitors at the 2009 SEA Games Competitors at the 2011 SEA Games Asian Games competitors for the Philippines