Maria Laura Almirão

Maria Laura Almirão (born September 20, 1977 in São Paulo) is a Brazilian sprinter, who specialized in the 400 metres.[1] She is a two-time Olympian and a five-time medalist for the 400 metres and sprint relay at the Ibero-American Championships.

Maria Laura Almirão
Personal information
Nationality Brazil
Born (1977-09-20) 20 September 1977
São Paulo, Brazil
Height1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)
Weight50 kg (110 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)Sprint
ClubAssociação Profissional BMF
Coached byKatsuhito Nakaya
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)400 m: 51.30 s (2005)
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Brazil
Ibero-American Championships
Gold medal – first place2004 Huelva400 m
Gold medal – first place2004 Huelva4×400 m relay
Silver medal – second place2006 Ponce400 m
Silver medal – second place2008 Iquique4×400 m relay
Bronze medal – third place2008 Iquique400 m

Almirao qualified for the women's 400 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, by winning the gold medal from the Ibero-American Championships in Huelva, Spain.[2] She finished fifth in the second heat of the event by six hundredths of a second (0.06) behind Jamaica's Nadia Davy, with a time of 52.10 seconds. Almirao eventually joined the national sprint team for the women's 4 × 400 m relay, along with her compatriots Josiane Tito, Lucimar Teodoro, and Geisa Coutinho. She and her team placed sixth on the second heat of the relay, for a seasonal best time of 3:28.43.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Almirao competed again for the second time in individual and relay sprint events. For her first event, 400 metres, Almirao ran in the fourth heat against six other athletes, including Great Britain's Christine Ohuruogu, who eventually became an Olympic champion in the final. She finished the race again in fifth place by more than two seconds behind Ohuruogu, with a time of 53.26.[3] Few days later, Almirao reunited with her teammates Lucimar Teodoro, Josiane Tito, and Emmily Pinheiro for the women's 4 × 400 m relay. She ran on the starting leg of the second heat, with an individual-split time of 53.49 seconds. Almirao and her team finished the relay in sixth place for a total time of 3:30.10, failing to advance into the final.[4]

Almirao is also a full-time member of Associação Profissional BMF in São Caetano do Sul, being coached and trained by Japanese-born Katsuhito Nakaya.

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Maria Laura Almirão". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  2. "Ribeiro takes comfortable win in Ibero-American Championships". IAAF. 8 August 2004. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  3. "Women's 400m Round 1 – Heat 4". NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  4. "Women's 4×400m Relay Round 1 – Heat 2". NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
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