Érika Olivera

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Olivera and the second or maternal family name is De la Fuente.
The Honourable
Érika Olivera
Olivera in the 2012 Summer Olympics marathon
Personal information
Full nameÉrika Alejandra Olivera de la Fuente
Born (1976-01-04) 4 January 1976 (age 49)
Santiago, Chile
Height1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight55 kg (121 lb)
Sport
Country Chile
SportAthletics
EventMarathon
Medal record
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1999 Winnipeg Marathon
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Santo Domingo Marathon
South American Games
Gold medal – first place 1994 Valencia 3000 m
Gold medal – first place 1994 Valencia 10000 m
Updated on 13 May 2014

Érika Alejandra Olivera de la Fuente (born 4 January 1976 in Quinta Normal) is a female marathon runner from Chile and deputy for the Democrats party.[1]

She has competed at five Olympic Games, the most Olympic appearances ever by a female marathon runner.[2]

Career

She took the gold medal at the 1999 Pan American Games, setting a Pan American Games record at 2:37.41 hours. She won a bronze at the following edition in 2003. Starting in 1996, she represented her native country in three consecutive Summer Olympics, and also the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Olivera made her breakthrough at the junior level in 1994 when she won the 10,000 metres gold and 3000 metres bronze medals at the South American Junior Championships in Athletics. The following year she upgraded to a gold and a silver medal at the Pan American Junior Championships, before going on to complete a hat-trick of medals at the South American Junior Championships – she secured a 10,000 m and 3000 m double and also won the 1500 metres silver behind Bertha Sánchez.[3][4]

Olivera is a two-time winner of the South American Cross Country Championships, having beaten all comers in both the long and short races in 1999.[5] She is a five-time winner and course record holder of the Santiago Marathon.[6] She won the 1995 edition of the Buenos Aires Marathon in Argentina and placed fourth at the 74th Saint Silvester Marathon in 1998.

She enjoyed success on the track at continental level, completing a 10,000 metres/5000 metres silver medal double at both the 1997 and 2003 South American Championships in Athletics. Further to this, she won a silver and a bronze at the 1999 edition of the competition.[7] At the Ibero-American Championships, she has won medals in a number of events, beginning with a 5000 m gold medal and 10,000 m bronze in 1996, the 10,000 m gold at the 2000 edition, and finally a silver medal in the 3000 metres steeplechase in 2002.[8]

Her personal best for the marathon is 2:32:23, set at the 1999 Rotterdam Marathon, which is also the Chilean record for the event. She is also the national record holder over the half marathon, 10,000 m and 5000 m.[9]

After completing the marathon at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Olivera became the first female athlete ever in completing five olympic marathons.[10] Immediately after the race, she announced her retirement from competitive athletics.[11] In November 2016, Olivera announced that her last race as a professional will be at the 2017 Santiago Marathon,[12] on which she completed the half-marathon in 1:38:17.[13][14]

Personal life

Erika Olivera was married with Ricardo Opazo, who was also her coach. Currently her partner is Chilean marathoner Leslie Encina. She has five children.

The athlete has always been critical with regard to sports financing in Chile, indicating the lack of financial support that she has had to overcome during her athletic career.

In 2015 Olivera manifested her intention of starting a political career once she finishes her athletic profession, considering that she will attempt to become a member of the Chilean Congress Cámara de Diputados de Chile, and showing interest in the Renovación Nacional (RN) party.[15]

In 2016 Olivera revealed that her stepfather had sexually abused her during twelve years of her childhood.[16][2]

In the 2017 Chilean general election, Oliveira was elected as a deputy for the RN with 30,784 votes, representing Chile's 9th legislative district which includes Quinta Normal, Cerro Navia, Renca, Lo Prado, Recoleta, Independencia, Huechuraba, and Conchalí. She gained controversy after she compared the campaign of former presidential candidate Alejandro Guillier to the government of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.[17]

Olympic results

Olympic Games Discipline Place Time
United States 1996 Atlanta Marathon 37 2:39:06
Australia 2000 Sydney Marathon 27 2:35:07
Greece 2004 Athens Marathon 58 2:57:14
United Kingdom 2012 London Marathon 64 2:36:41
Brazil 2016 Rio de Janeiro Marathon 105 2:50:29

Note: Olivera missed the 2008 Summer Olympics due to pregnancy.[18]

Personal bests

  • 1500 m: 4:25.61 – Chile Talca, 11 April 1997
  • 3000 m: 9:21.73 – Chile Santiago, 1 May 1999
  • 5000 m: 15:51.45 – Brazil Rio de Janeiro, 20 May 2000
  • 10,000 m: 33:23.12 – Chile Concepción, 30 November 1996
  • Half marathon: 1:11:54 – Chile Santiago, 10 September 2000
  • Marathon: 2:32:23 – Netherlands Rotterdam, 18 April 1999
  • 3000 m steeplechase: 10:48.75– Guatemala Guatemala, 11 May 2002

International competitions

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Chile
1992 South American Junior Championships Lima, Perú 6th 3000 m 10:32.7
5th 10,000 m 39:50.2
South American Youth Championships Santiago, Chile 9th 1500 m 4:56.23
5th 3000 m 10:20.73
1993 South American Junior Championships Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela 5th 3000 m 10:13.7
1994 South American Junior Championships Santa Fe, Argentina 3rd 3000 m 9:48.03
1st 10,000 m 34:14.4
World Junior Championships Lisbon, Portugal 7th 10,000 m 34:36.96
South American Games Valencia, Venezuela 1st 3000 m 9:31.06
1st 10,000 m 34:40.9
1995 Pan American Games Mar del Plata, Argentina 7th 5000 m 16:13.76
8th 10,000 m 34.54.42
Pan American Junior Championships Santiago, Chile 2nd 3000 m 9:32.52
1st 10,000 m 34:43.10
South American Junior Championships Santiago, Chile 2nd 1500 m 10:05.42
1st 3000 m 9:30.73
1st 10,000 m 35:27.33
Buenos Aires Marathon Buenos Aires, Argentina 1st Marathon 2:45:02
1996 South American Cross Country Championships Asunción, Paraguay 2nd 6 km 21:51
Ibero-American Championships Medellín, Colombia 1st 5000 m 16:26.13
3rd 10,000 m 34:41.75
Olympic Games Atlanta, Georgia, United States 37th Marathon 2:39:06
1997 South American Cross Country Championships Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina 2nd 6 km 21:31
South American Championships Mar del Plata, Argentina 2nd 5000 m 15:52.27
2nd 10,000 m 33:56.98
1998 South American Games Cuenca, Ecuador 2nd 10,000 m 36:00.0
Saint Silvester Road Race São Paulo, Brazil 4th 15 km 53:33
1999 South American Cross Country Championships - Junior Artur Nogueira, Brazil 1st 4 km 14:05
1st 8 km 29:48
South American Championships Bogotá, Colombia 5th 1500 m 4:49.25
3rd 5000 m 17:15.17
2nd 10,000 m 34:45.70
Pan American Games Winnipeg, Canada 1st Marathon 2:37:41
2000 South American Cross Country Championships Cartagena, Colombia 3rd 4 km 13:24
3rd 8 km 28:12
Ibero-American Championships Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 5th 5000 m 15:51.45
1st 10,000 m 33:39.16
Olympic Games Sydney, Australia 27th Marathon 2:35:07
2002 Ibero-American Championships Guatemala, Guatemala — 3000 m DNF
— 5000 m DNF
2nd 3000 m steeplechase 10:48.5
South American Half Marathon Championships Buenos Aires, Argentina 1st Half marathon 1:14:51
2003 South American Cross Country Championships Asunción, Paraguay 4th 4 km 14:56
3rd 8 km 31:32
South American Championships Barquisimeto, Venezuela 2nd 5000 m 16:23.97
2nd 10,000 m 34:43.02
Pan American Games Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 3rd Marathon 2:44:52
2004 Ibero-American Championships Huelva, Spain 11th 5000 m 17:22.95
Olympic Games Athens, Greece 58th Marathon 2:57:14
2007 South American Cross Country Championships Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — 8 km DNF
Pan American Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — Marathon DNF
2009 South American Cross Country Championships Concepción, Chile 8th 8 km 29:17
South American Championships Lima, Perú — 5000 m DNF
2011 Pan American Games Guadalajara, México 5th Marathon 2:44:06
2012 Olympic Games London, United Kingdom 64th Marathon 2:36:41
2013 World Championships Moscow, Russia — Marathon DNF
2014 South American Games Santiago, Chile 6th 5000 m 16:37.84
7th 10,000 m 34:21.93
South American Marathon Championships Santiago, Chile 1st Marathon 2:36:08
2015 South American Championships Lima, Peru 10th 10,000 m 36:14.96
Pan American Games Toronto, Canada 11th Marathon 2:52:27
2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 105th Marathon 2:50:29
2017 Santiago Marathon Santiago, Chile unknown Half marathon 1:38:17

References

  1. ^ "La parlamentaria ingresó a militar en Demócratas. Érika Olivera: El espectáculo de agresiones que damos en el Congreso influye en la desaprobación que tenemos". Democrats (Chile). 6 February 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b Arroyo, Lorena; Glickhouse, Rachel (13 August 2016). "After opening up about her past, Chilean Erika Olivera to run fifth Olympic marathon". Univisión Deportes. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  3. ^ South American Junior Championships (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-10-30.
  4. ^ Pan American Junior Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-10-30.
  5. ^ Continental Cross Country Championships and Cups. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-03-02.
  6. ^ : Juraj Gasparovic & Klaas Loonstra (2010-04-13). Santiago Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-10-30.
  7. ^ South American Championships (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-10-30.
  8. ^ Ibero American Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-10-30.
  9. ^ Chilean Athletics Records - Women Outdoor. Fedachi. Retrieved on 2010-10-30.
  10. ^ "Chilena Érika Olivera, primera mujer en completar la maratón en cinco Juegos Olímpicos" [Érika Olivera, first woman who completed the marathon at five Olympic Games]. TUDN (in Spanish). Rio de Janeiro. 14 August 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Erika Olivera: Me preparé cuatro años para este retiro" [Érika Olivera: I prepared myself for this retirement for four years]. Radio Cooperativa (in Spanish). Rio de Janeiro. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  12. ^ Matus, Natalia (22 November 2016). "Érika Olivera anunció su retiro en Concepción" [Érika Olivera announced her retirement at Concepción]. TVU (in Spanish). Concepción. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  13. ^ Huircán, Ana Karina (2 April 2017). "Maratón 2017 - Así fue la última carrera de Erika Olivera" [2017 Marathon - That's how Érika Olivera's last race went]. Televisión Nacional de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  14. ^ Dávila, Claudio (2 April 2017). "La emotiva despedida de Erika Olivera en el Maratón de Santiago" [Érika Olivera's emotive farewell at the Santiago Marathon]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Erika Olivera busca su fondo político". La Tercera (in Spanish). 18 July 2015. Archived from the original on 8 August 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  16. ^ "La dura revelación de Érika Olivera: fue abusada por su padrastro por doce años". La Tercera. Archived from the original on 2016-09-20. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
  17. ^ "Los polémicos dichos de Erika Olivera contra proyecto de Guillier: No quiero un Venezuela". 21 November 2017.
  18. ^ Vallejos, Leonardo (5 May 2016). "Erika Olivera, la chilena con más JJ.OO.: "Yo también tengo escuelas, pero nunca le pediría ayuda a Farkas"" [Erika Olivera, the chilean with most Olympics: "I have schools also, but I would never ask Farkas for help"]. El Mercurio (in Spanish). Santiago. Retrieved 18 February 2017. I've only skipped Beijing 2008 because my son was born. Otherwise, it would be six in a row.
Olympic Games
Preceded by Flagbearer for  Chile
Rio de Janeiro 2016 		Succeeded by