Mexican race walker
Alberto Cruz (born 6 June 1972) is a Mexican former racewalker . He was a world junior champion and took a bronze medal at the 1993 IAAF World Race Walking Cup . Amongst his senior honours are gold medals from the Central American and Caribbean and Ibero-American Championships .
Career
Cruz was highly successful as a junior athlete. He won three straight golds at the Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics , winning his first at the age of fourteen in 1986 and his last in 1990.[ 1] He became world junior champion in 1988 and returned two years later to defend his title, narrowly finishing second behind Ilya Markov (who would go on to win an Olympic medal in the sport).[ 2] Cruz also won two consecutive gold medals at the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships (1989 and 1991).[ 3]
On his senior debut for Mexico, a sixteen-year-old Cruz was disqualified at the 1988 Pan American Race Walking Cup . He performed well in his subsequent outings, however, taking tenth at the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships and fourth at the 1990 Pan American Race Walking Cup , which was held on hom turf and saw a Mexican sweep of the top four with Ernesto Canto , Joel Sánchez and Carlos Mercenario .[ 4] [ 5]
He established himself regionally with a gold medal win at the 1991 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics held in Xalapa , Mexico, beating his compatriot and runner-up Víctor Sánchez by over three minutes. His finishing time of 1:27:09 hours was a championship record.[ 6] Another gold medal followed in the 20,000 metres track walk at the 1992 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics , bettering South American opposition in Clodomiro Moreno and Jefferson Pérez .[ 7]
Cruz appeared to signify a move into the global elite with a bronze medal at the 1993 IAAF World Race Walking Cup , joining countryman Daniel García on the podium in Monterrey , Mexico.[ 8] However, this proved to be one of the last high-profile performances of his career. He made one more international outing at the 2000 Pan American Race Walking Cup , but failed to finish the event.[ 4]
International competitions
Year
Competition
Venue
Position
Event
Notes
1986
CAC Junior Championships
Mexico City , Mexico
1st
5000 m walk
22:57
1988
CAC Junior Championships
Nassau, Bahamas
1st
10,000 m walk
46:05
World Junior Championships
Sudbury , Canada
1st
10,000 m walk
41:16.11
Pan American Race Walking Cup
Mar de Plata , Argentina
—
20 km walk
DQ
1989
World Indoor Championships
Budapest , Hungary
10th
5000 m walk
20:18.99
Pan American Junior Championships
Santa Fe, Argentina
1st
10,000 m walk
42:00.21
1990
CAC Junior Championships
Havana , Cuba
1st
10,000 m walk
44:11.00
World Junior Championships
Plovdiv , Bulgaria
2nd
10,000 m walk
39:56.49
Pan American Race Walking Cup
Xalapa , Mexico
4th
20 km walk
1:22:52
1991
Pan American Junior Championships
Kingston, Jamaica
1st
10,000 m walk
42:38.51
CAC Championships
Xalapa , Mexico
1st
20 km walk
1:27:09 CR
1992
Ibero-American Championships
Seville , Spain
1st
20,000 m walk
1:25:35.9
Pan American Race Walking Cup
Guatemala City , Guatemala
3rd
20 km walk
1:28:32
1993
World Race Walking Cup
Monterrey , Mexico
3rd
20 km walk
1:24:37
2000
Pan American Race Walking Cup
Poza Rica , Mexico
—
20 km walk
DQ
References
External links