Isménia do Frederico (born 15 June 1971) is a Cape Verdean sprinter. She was the first woman to represent Cape Verde at the Olympics. Do Frederico, a two-time Olympian, first competed for Cape Verde at the 1993 World Championships where she ran the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

in 13.03 seconds. Three years later 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 ...

, Do Frederico made history along with

António Zeferino António Carlos Pina Zeferino (born 17 January 1966) is a Cape Verdean athlete, specializing in long-distance running, marathon and half marathon. Zeferino, a three-time Olympian, first competed for Cape Verde in a meet in Maia, Portugal setti ...

and

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 ...

by becoming the first athletes to represent the tiny African nation at the Olympic Games. In the women's 100 metres she finished 52nd in a time of 13.03 seconds. The following year she competed in the 1997 Francophone Games, recording her all time personal best in the

with a time of 12.75 seconds. 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 ...

in Sydney, Do Frederico had the honour of being the

flag bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a flag-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a f ...

at the opening ceremony. In

, she finished in 78th place crossing the line in 12.99 seconds.

References

1971 births Living people Cape Verdean female sprinters Olympic athletes for Cape Verde Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic female sprinters {{CapeVerde-athletics-bio-stub