FermÃn Cacho
Fermín Cacho Ruiz ( born February 16, 1969 in Ágreda, Soria Province ) is a former Spanish middle distance runner and Olympic champion in the 1500 meter race.
His first success was celebrated in 1990 Cacho, when he was second at the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow. In 3:44,61 min, it was just behind Jens -Peter Herold, the last GDR European Indoor champion in this race. At the European Championships in Split Cacho Eleventh min in 3:42,21. The following year he won at the World Indoor Championships in Seville in 3:42,68 min silver behind the Algerian Noureddine Morceli. At the World Championships in Tokyo, he was in 3:35,62 min fifth.
Prior to the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona Cacho was not among the candidates win. But the race over 1500 meters was run extremely slow. Cacho was on the final lap positioned perfectly, übersprintete all opponents and won the gold medal in a time of 3:40,12 min.
At the World Athletics Championships in Stuttgart in 1993 Cacho was in 3:35,56 min second behind Morceli. The following year, he won the title at the European Championships in Helsinki. With 3:35,27 min he had a clear lead over his compatriot Isaac Viciosa in the target. After the sixth place in 3:45,46 minutes at the World Indoor Championships in Barcelona in 1995 Cacho reached at the World Championships in Gothenburg in 3:37,02 minutes for him a disappointing eighth.
At the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, he was again not as a favorite, even though he was defending champion. In the third round of the 1500 -meter race Hicham El Guerrouj fell. Cacho was forced to jump over the knitted stumbled so as not to fall down himself, and he thus lost crucial meters on Noureddine Morceli. At the end Cacho was second in 3:36,40 min.
At the 1997 World Championships in Athens Cacho was second again and lay in 3:36,62 minutes behind El Guerrouj this time. A week later at the meeting world-class Zurich ran Cacho on 13 August 1997 with 3:28,95 min European record that held until 19 July 2013. At the European Championships in Budapest in 1998, he won bronze in 3:42,13 minutes behind his countryman Reyes Estévez and the Portuguese Rui Silva. At the 1999 World Championships in Seville, Cacho was the fifth time in a row in a World Cup final and came in 3:31,34 minutes on the fourth place. Cacho injured his Achilles tendon, had to forego participation in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and ended his athletic career.
From 1989 to 1993, and 1995 and 1996 he was Spanish Champion over 1500 m.
Fermín Cacho is 1,75 m tall and weighed in its active life of 65 kg. He was trained by Enrique Pascual.
Personal Best
- 800 m: 1:45,37 min, September 8, 1991, Albacete
- 1000 m: 2:16,13 min, September 6, 1993 Andújar
- 1500 m: 3:28,95 min, August 13, 1997 Zurich ( European record ) Hall: 3:35,29 min, February 28, 1991, Seville
- Hall: 7:36,61 min, February 4, 1996, Stuttgart (former European record )