Mozambique's Olympic champion promotes
sport at home
AFP
12 October 2000 - Maputo, Mozambique - Mozambican athlete Maria Lurdes Mutola intends to use her image to promote athletics in her impoverished nation.
Mutola, 28, who won her country's first-ever Olympic gold in Sydney last month, told AFP that her trip last week to the provinces marked the start of her campaign.
"My work is to encourage young people to practice not only athletics but other sporting disciplines as well, in spite of difficulties our country has," she said.
"I will go back every year and encourage them so that they can succeed also."
Since 1991, Mutola has trained in the United States, financed by a grant from the International Olympic Committee.
Mutola's gold medal win in the 800m with a run of 1min 56:15sec, half a second ahead of her main rival Stephanie Graf from Austria. Bronze went to British runner Kelly Holmes.
In 1996 at Atlanta where she was gold-medal favourite in the 800m, but had to settle for bronze behind Svetlana Masterkova of Russia and Ana Fidelia Quirot of Cuba.
She first shot to prominence at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, where she came fifth in the two lap event.
Although she spends much of her time in the United States, Mutola has no desire to give up her native nationality: "I will keep my citizenship in order to continue to serve as a reference for the younger already aspiring to reach professional levels."