News02 Jan 2007


Double victory for Brazil at São Paulo São Silvestre

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A happy new year for Brazil's Lucélia de Oliveira Peres in São Paulo (© MBraga Comunicação)

For the first time ever, two Brazilian athletes - Franck Caldeira de Almeida and Lucélia de Oliveira Peres - won the male and female races of the “Corrida de São Silvestre”, which took place on Sunday, 31 December in the streets of São Paulo.

For Peres, the ‘best victory of my career’

The 15k event started at 15:15 of the last day of the year for the female category. The strong rain was a big factor in the entire afternoon.

A group composed ob 5000m Central American Games champion, Colombian Bertha Sánchez and a pack of Brazilian athletes Lucélia Peres, Ednalva da Silva, Márcia Narloch, Sirlene Pinho, and Marily dos Santos animated the race at its early stages.

At the area of Minhocão, Sánchez pushed the leading group trying to open a gap, but Peres counterattacked at the Old Center (“Centro Velho”).

Peres and Ednalva da Silva, nicknamed “Pretinha”, got clear at the “Avenida Rio Branco” (10km), but Peres was the strongest and resisted the hard pace at the classic uphill of the “Avenida Brigadeiro Luiz Antônio” (13km).

Peres, who holds a 33:04.72 PB at 10,000m, crossed the finish line in 51:24 to obtain what she believes is the “best victory of my career”. The 25-year-old became only the fifth Brazilian woman’s winner. The first time the event turned official for women was back in 1975.

Márcia Narloch, a 2:29:59 Marathon runner and third at the São Silvestre in 2001 and 2003, was one of the favorites, but had to drop out after 10 kilometres due to physical problems.

Caldeira unopposed

The main names in Brazilian distance running at the moment, NYC Marathon winner Marílson Gomes dos Santos, and Olympic bronze medalist Vanderlei de Lima, were absent from the race, but as the winner declared afterwards, “Brazilian “B” runners proved that we are as good as anyone.”

Franck Caldeira de Almeida is perhaps unknown by most people, but at the age of 23, he is certainly building up an interesting career. Caldeira has been around for awhile and holds the South American Junior record for 10,000m with 29:28.77 from 2002, the year he finished seventh in that event at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Kingston.

Since 2003 he has been animating local road races, and even has contested a few marathons (fourth at Milano in October 2006 in 2:14:06), but his form had never evolved into what many expected he would be: Brazil’s new great distance runner.

His 10,000m PB showed little improvement since 2002, only advancing to 29:04.88 in 2006, but this São Silvestre could be the new beginning of his career.

Caldeira’s domination in São Paulo was almost total, and the rain never slowed him down. He went to the lead early with Clodoaldo da Silva, Paulo Alves dos Santos and Colombian Javier Guarín.

Clodoaldo and Alves were very brave and tried to break away, but Caldeira was always alert.

The eventual winner launched his decisive attack at the classic uphill of the “Avenida Brigadeiro Luiz Antônio”, and from there built up his advantage to obtain a final victory margin of over one minute, which clearly illustrated his strong domination.

Caldeira, from the state of Minas Gerais, became the tenth Brazilian to win the race, stopping the clock in 44:07, a time affected by the rain. He now hopes to be a part of the Brazilian national team for the 15th edition of the Pan American Games which Rio de Janeiro will host in July 2007.

Eduardo Biscayart for the IAAF

Leading Results
Men -
1. Franck Caldeira de Almeida (BRA) 44:07
2. Clodoaldo Gomes da Silva (BRA) 45:14
3. Paulo Alves dos Santos (BRA) 45:17
4. Javier Alexander Guarín (COL) 45:20
5. João Baptista N’Tyamba (ANG) 45:22

Women -
1. Lucélia de Oliveira Peres (BRA) 51:24
2. Ednalva Laureano da Silva (BRA) 51:53
3. Bertha Sánchez (COL) 53:29
4. Pamela Chepkoech Bundotich (KEN) 53:46
5. Marizete dos Santos (BRA) 53:56

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