Silvia Weissteiner (born 13 July 1979 in

Sterzing Sterzing (; it, Vipiteno ) is a comune in South Tyrol in northern Italy. It is the main town of the southern Wipptal, and the Eisack River flows through the medieval town. History Origin The town traces its roots to 14 B.C., when Nero Claudius ...

/Vipiteno) is an Italian long-distance runner.

Biography

She is a two-time national champion in the women's 5000 metres. She represented Italy at the 2008 Summer Olympics, the 2012 Summer Olympics, and at the

World Championships in Athletics The World Athletics Championships (until 2019 known as the World Championships in Athletics) are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics (formerly IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations). Alongside the Ol ...

in 2007 and 2009. Weissteiner was the runner-up at the

European Cup 10000m The European 10,000m Cup is an annual 10,000 metres race for European athletes which was first held in 1997. The competition is organised by the European Athletics Association and first began as the European 10000 Metres Challenge (''European 1 ...

in 2006 behind

Elvan Abeylegesse Elvan Abeylegesse, (also formerly: Hewan Abeye (አልቫን አበይለገሠ, Amharic) and Elvan Can ( Turkish); born September 11, 1982) is an Ethiopian-born naturalized Turkish middle and long-distance running athlete who competes over d ...

. She won her first major continental medal at the 2007 European Athletics Indoor Championships. Her bronze medal performance with a run of 8:44.81 was a new Italian indoor record, marking an improvement of over twelve seconds for the distance. She has enjoyed success at the Mediterranean Games, having won consecutive 5000 m bronze medals at the 2005 and 2009 editions. She won a 3000 m silver medal at the 2008 European Athletics Indoor Cup and took an outdoor silver over 5000 m at the 2009 European Team Championships. In 2011, she narrowly missed the 3000 m final at the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships, was fifth over the distance at the

2011 European Team Championships The third European Team Championships, took place on 18 and 19 June 2011. The Competition was divided between four divisions, with results determining promotion and relegation between them. The Super League event was held in Stockholm, at the Sto ...

and was the Italian champion over 5000 m. She ran at the BOClassic New Year's Eve race in

Bolzano Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...

and was the first European to cross the line, taking third behind

Vivian Cheruiyot Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot (born 11 September 1983) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in track and cross country running. She represented Kenya at the Summer Olympics in 2000, 2008, 2012, and 2016, winning a silver medal at the 5 ...

and Afera Godfay.

Achievements

National titles

Silvia Weissteiner has won the individual

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

17 times. *1 win in the

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athle ...

: 2007 *4 wins in the 5000 metres: 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012 *5 wins in the

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 cou ...

: 2003 (short race), 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012 *7 wins in the 3000 metres indoor: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013

Personal bests

- 4:12.30 min (2007) * 3000 metres - 8:48.63 min (2007) - indoor: 8:44.81 min (2007, national record) * 5000 metres - 15:02.65 min (2007) *

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The ra ...

- 32:09.26 min (2006)

References

External links