Raúl González (racewalker)

Raúl González Rodríguez (born February 29, 1952) is a Mexican former race walker.

Raúl González
Personal information
Full nameRaúl González Rodríguez
Born (1952-02-29) February 29, 1952 (age 72)
China, Nuevo León, Mexico
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight64 kg (141 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
EventRace walking
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Mexico
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1984 Los Angeles 50 km walk
Silver medal – second place 1984 Los Angeles 20 km walk
World Race Walking Cup
Gold medal – first place 1977 Milton Keynes 50 km walk
Gold medal – first place 1981 Valencia 50 km walk
Gold medal – first place 1983 Bergen 50 km walk
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1979 San Juan 50 km walk
Gold medal – first place 1983 Caracas 50 km walk
Silver medal – second place 1983 Caracas 20 km walk
Silver medal – second place 1987 Indianapolis 50 km walk

Career

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González won the gold medal in 50 km walk at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. He also won a silver medal in 20 km walk. He set an Olympic record winning the 50 km event in a time of 3:47:26.[1][2]

González won the 50 km race walk at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup in 1977, 1981 and 1983.

He set the world record in the 50 km race walk twice in 1978 with times of 3:45:52 and 3:41:20. As of October 2011, it still was the North American record.

Post-career

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González was a member of the national race walk team that received Mexico's National Sports Prize in 1977; he received the prize individually in 1978.[3] From 1988 to 1994 he was Director of National Sports Commission of Mexico, and from 2002 to 2004 executive president of the Mexican Professional Baseball League.[4]

Achievements

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Year Competition Venue Position Notes
Representing   Mexico
1971 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics Kingston, Jamaica 3rd 10 km
1974 Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 1st 20 km
1977 World Race Walking Cup Milton Keynes, England 1st 50 km
1978 Central American and Caribbean Games Medellín, Colombia 2nd 20 km
Mexico City, Mexico World record 50 km
Poděbrady, Czechoslovakia World record 50 km
1979 Pan American Games San Juan, Puerto Rico 1st 50 km
1980 Olympic Games Moscow, Soviet Union 6th 20 km
DNF 50 km
1981 World Race Walking Cup Valencia, Spain 1st 50 km
Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 2nd 20 km
1982 Central American and Caribbean Games Havana, Cuba 2nd 20 km
1st 50 km
1983 World Race Walking Cup Bergen, Norway 1st 50 km
Pan American Games Caracas, Venezuela 2nd 20 km
1st 50 km
World Championships in Athletics Helsinki, Finland 9th 20 km
5th 50 km
1984 Olympic Games Los Angeles, United States 2nd 20 km
1st 50 km
1987 Pan American Games Indianapolis, United States 2nd 50 km
World Championships in Athletics Rome, Italy 11th 50 km

References

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  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Raúl González". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
  2. ^ HISTORY OF RACE WALKING IN THE OLYMPICS. Eracewalk.com. Retrieved on 2014-08-13.
  3. ^ Raúl González Rodríguez Archived 2010-09-27 at the Wayback Machine. Deporte.org.mx. Retrieved on 2014-08-13.
  4. ^ Raul Gonzalez Archived 2013-09-02 at the Wayback Machine. Speakersmexico.com (1949-06-03). Retrieved on 2014-08-13.
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Records
Preceded by Men's 50 km Walk World Record Holder
April 23, 1978 – March 13, 1983
Succeeded by