Manuela Machado

Maria Manuela Machado ( Maria Manuela Castro Machado; * August 9, 1963 in Viana do Castelo ) is a former Portuguese long-distance runner who was in the 90's the world's best at the marathon distance.

Her biggest success is winning the title at the Marathon World Athletics Championships 1995 in Gothenburg. Twice she won World Championship silver ( in Stuttgart in 1993 and 1997 in Athens), and twice she took seventh place (1991 in Tokyo and 1999 in Seville).

At the European Championships in Helsinki in 1994 and the European Championships in 1998 in Budapest, she sat with her two victories continues the series that began her compatriot Rosa Mota with their victories in 1982, 1986 and 1990. Even at the European Championships in 1990 in Split Machado had occupied the tenth place.

Less success they had in the Olympics. Two seventh places at the Games in Barcelona in 1992 and the Games in Atlanta in 1996 was followed by No. 21 at the Games in Sydney in 2000.

Although Machado is known for its success in major international championships in the first place, where they participated eleven times in a row, she also went in city marathon not empty. 1992, 1993 and 1998, she finished fourth in the Boston Marathon, 1995 second in the London and the New York City Marathon and 1996, second in the Tokyo International Women's Marathon. Your personal best 2:25:09 placed it on the London Marathon in 1999 when she won the third place.

Machado started for Sporting Braga and Sporting Lisbon.