Carlos Lopes

Carlos Alberto de Sousa Lopes, GCIH (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈkaɾluʃ ˈlɔpɨʃ], born February 18, 1947) is a Portuguese former long-distance runner, winner of the marathon race at the 1984 Summer Olympics, in Los Angeles. He brought home Portugal's first ever Olympic gold medal along with a new Olympic record – 2:09.21.

Born in Vildemoinhos, near Viseu, Portugal, Carlos Lopes worked as a stonecutter's helper. He wanted to play football at the local club, but his father opposed this, so he turned to other forms of athletics. In 1967 he was personally invited to join the athletics team of Sporting Clube de Portugal, and remained there until the end of his career in 1985. He was an average quality runner, until he made an astonishing breakthrough in 1976, aged 29.

Career

Lopes' 1976 campaign began with a victory at the prestigious IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Chepstow, Wales. Competing in the 10,000 meters at the Montreal 1976 Summer Olympics, Lopes set the pace from the 4000m mark, and the only athlete to follow him was defending double Olympic champion Lasse Virén. Virén passed Lopes with a lap to go to win the gold medal, and Lopes finished a comfortable second. Lopes ran the first 5,000 metres in 14:08.94, and the second 5,000 metres in 13:36.23, a remarkable proof of his ability to steadily accelerate his pace. What he generally lacked in the track races, however, was an ability to sharply increase his pace in the final lap or so (see, for example, Antero Raevuori, ed., "Lasse Virén: The Gilded Spikes" / Lasse Viren – Kullatut piikkarit, Helsinki: Weilin+Göös, 1976).

Carlos López

Carlos López may refer to:

Carlos Lopes (Paralympic athlete)

Carlos Conceição Lopes, GOIH is a former Portuguese paralympian athlete who competed mainly in category T11 sprint events.

Lopes competed in the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, United States. There he won a bronze medal in the men's 400 metres - T10 event, finished fourth in the men's 200 metres - T10 event and went out in the first round of the men's 800 metres - T10 event. He also competed at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, Australia; he won a gold medal in the men's 4 x 400 metre relay - T13 event, a gold medal in the men's 400 metres - T11 event and finished fourth in the men's 200 metres - T11 event. He also competed at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, Greece; he finished seventh in the men's 100 metres - T11 event, did not finish in the men's 200 metres - T11 event and went out in the first round of the men's 4 x 400 metre relay - T11-13 event. He competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China. There he went out in the quarter-finals of the men's 100 metres - T11 event and was a part of the Portuguese relay team that went out in the first round of the men's 4 x 400 metre relay - T11-T13 event

Carlos Lopes (Guinea Bissau)

Carlos Lopes is a Bissau-Guinean development economist, author, educator and civil servant. The Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) since March 2007 and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa since September 2012, he has previously served the United Nations as Director for Political Affairs (2005 to 2007) in the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General and Director of the United Nations System Staff College (March 2007 to August 2012). An international educator, Lopes serves or advises the boards of the Bonn International Center for Conversion, Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, ISCTE – Lisbon University Institute, Instituto Ethos, Kofi Annan Foundation and the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning. He advises or serves on the editorial boards of the journals Géopolitique Africaine, African Sociological Review, and African Identities. He is also a member of the King Baudouin International Development Prize Selection Committee.