Sara Isabel Fonseca Moreira[1] ComM[2] (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈsaɾɐ muˈɾɐjɾɐ]; born 17 October 1985) is a Portuguese runner who competes in cross country, road running and in middle-distance and long-distance track events. She represents Sporting CP at club level.

Sara Moreira

Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Portugal
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 Amsterdam Half marathon
Silver medal – second place 2010 Barcelona 5000 m
Silver medal – second place 2012 Helsinki 5000 m
European Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 2013 Gothenburg 3000 m
Silver medal – second place 2009 Turin 3000 m
IAAF World Cross Country Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Amman Team
European Cross Country Championships
Gold medal – first place 2008 Brussels Team
Gold medal – first place 2009 Dublin Team
Gold medal – first place 2010 Albufeira Team
Universiade
Silver medal – second place 2011 Shenzhen 5000 m

After contributing for three collective European cross-country titles and winning individual silver and bronze medals in other championships, she secured her first individual senior title with the 3000 metres gold medal at the 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Gothenburg. At the 2016 European Athletics Championships, Moreira won her first major outdoor individual title by taking the gold medal in the debuting half marathon event.

Career

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Sara Isabel Fonseca Moreira was born in Santo Tirso, Portugal,[3] Moreira's first international athletics competition was the 2007 European Athletics U23 Championships, where she took the bronze medal in the steeplechase. She attended the 2007 World Championships in Athletics the following year and finished in thirteenth place in the final. The following year she took part in two major competitions: the IAAF World Cross Country Championships where she finished 50th in the senior race, and then the 2008 Summer Olympics later that year, where she failed to get past the heats of the steeplechase competition.

The 2009 saw Moreira take on an extensive competitive schedule. In March 2009, she won the silver medal at the European Indoor Championships with a new personal best of 8:48.18 – her first senior medal. A sixteenth-place finish at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships saw her help the Portuguese women to a team bronze, along with Ana Dulce Félix. She scored a series of gold medals in July, starting with a 5000 metres and steeplechase double at the 2009 Summer Universiade (which included a Universiade record in the steeplechase), followed by another 5000 m gold at the 2009 Lusophony Games. At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics she missed out on the steeplechase final but managed to finish tenth in the women's 5000 m contest. Having competed extensively from March to August, Moreira's final competition of 2009 was the 2009 European Cross Country Championships in December, where she finished tenth and won the team gold with Portugal.

Moreira started her 2010 campaign at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Doha and she finished sixth in the final of the 3000 metres, the second best European performer after Ethiopian-born Alemitu Bekele Degfa, who competed for Turkey. Later that month she ran at the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and finished in 27th place (the fifth best European performer).[4] She took third place at the European Cup 10000m in June 2010, making her debut over 10,000 metres, and also helped win the women's team title for Portugal with Inês Monteiro and Fernanda Ribeiro.[5] She recorded a 3000 m personal best shortly after at the Gran Premio de Andalucía, where her time of 8:42.69 brought her third place behind Nuria Fernández.[6]

At the 2010 European Athletics Championships she secured a 5000 m bronze medal, setting a personal best of 14:54.71, but dropped out of the 10,000 m mid-race.[7] She was selected to run the 3000 m for Europe at the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup, but she finished in seventh place. A ninth-place finish at the 2010 European Cross Country Championships helped Portugal to the team gold medal.[8] She ended the year with a win at the São Silvestre da Amadora 10K race on New Year's Eve.[9]

Her 2011 began with a third-place finish at the European Cross Country Club Championships, hosted at the Cinque Mulini, where her club, Maratona Clube de Portugal, came second in the women's team race.[10] She came seventh over 1500 m at the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships and was twentieth in the senior race at the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships later that year. After fellow Portuguese Augusto dropped out of the European Cup 10000m, she took on the favourite role and won the title, five seconds clear of Christelle Daunay.[11] Moreira tested positive for the prohibited stimulant, methylhexaneamine at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics.[12] Her result was annulled and she was banned for six months.[13]

Upon her return, she won the Douro Valley Half Marathon in May, the European Cup 10000m title in June,[14] then a bronze medal in the 5000 m at the 2012 European Athletics Championships. She gained selection for the Portuguese Olympic team and ran a personal best of 31:16.44 minutes to place fourteenth in the 10,000 m Olympic final. She defeated Berhane Adere to win the Great Birmingham Run in October and placed twelfth at the 2012 European Cross Country Championships.[15]

Achievements

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Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing   Portugal
2007 European U23 Championships Debrecen, Hungary 3rd 3000 m st. 9:42.47
World Championships Osaka, Japan 13th 3000 m st. 10:00.40
2008 World Cross Country Championships Edinburgh, United Kingdom 50th Senior race (7.905 km) 27:50
8th Senior race - Team 165 pts
Olympic Games Beijing, China 22nd (h) 3000 m st. 9:34.39
2009 European Indoor Championships Turin, Italy 2nd 3000 m 8:48.18
World Cross Country Championships Amman, Jordan 16th Senior race (8 km) 27:54
3rd Senior race - Team 72 pts
European Team Championships Leiria, Portugal 7th 1500 m 4:12.94
4th 3000 m st. 9:43.99
Universiade Belgrade, Serbia 1st 5000 m 15:32.78
1st 3000 m st 9:32.62
Lusophony Games Lisbon, Portugal 1st 5000 m 15.45.05
World Championships in Athletics Berlin, Germany 12th (h) 3000 m st. 9:28.64
10th 5000 m 15:12.22
European Cross Country Championships Dublin, Ireland 10th Senior race (8.018 km) 28:32
1st Team race 25 pts
2010 World Indoor Championships Doha, Qatar 6th 3000 m 8:55.34
World Cross Country Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 27th Senior race (7.759 km) 26:22
European Championships Barcelona, Spain 3rd 5000 m 14:54.71
European Cross Country Championships Albufeira, Portugal 9th Senior race (8.170 km) 27:26
1st Senior race - Team 19 pts
2011 European Indoor Championships Paris, France 7th 1500 m 4:16.67
Universiade Shenzhen, China 2nd 5000 m 15:45.83
World Championships Daegu, South Korea 3000 m st. DQ
2012 Olympic Games London, United Kingdom 14th 10,000 m 31:16.44
2013 European Indoor Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 1st 3000 m 8:58.50
2014 European Championships Zürich, Switzerland 6th 5000 m 15:38.13
New York City Marathon New York City, USA 3rd Marathon 2:25:59
2015 World Championships Beijing, China 12th 10,000 m 32:06.14
2016 European Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands 1st Half marathon 1:10:19
2018 European Championships Berlin, Germany 10,000 m DNF
2021 Olympic Games Sapporo, Japan Marathon DNF

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Portugueses | Tóquio 2020 | PÚBLICO
  2. ^ Atletas condecorados com Ordem do Mérito (in Portuguese)
  3. ^ Sara Moreira Campeã Mundial Universitária de Corta Mato. Câmara Municipal de Santo Tirso (2010-04-12). Retrieved on 2011-02-07.
  4. ^ Senior Race - W Final. IAAF (2010-03-28). Retrieved on 2010-03-30.
  5. ^ Ramsak, Bob (2010-06-06). Farah and Monteiro take European Cup 10,000m victories. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-06-06.
  6. ^ Valinete, Emeterio (2010-06-10). 3000m World lead for Nuria Fernández in Huelva. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-06-14.
  7. ^ 2010 European Championships - women's 5000 m final Archived 12 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine. European Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-01-03.
  8. ^ SENIOR WOMEN'S FINAL: Portugal’s Augusto dominates to take gold Archived 2010-12-15 at the Wayback Machine. European Athletics (2010-12-12). Retrieved on 2011-01-03.
  9. ^ Fernandes, Antonio Manuel (2011-01-02). Moreira and Korir prevail in Amadora – Portuguese New Year race wrap. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-01-03.
  10. ^ Sampaolo, Diego (2011-02-06). Lamdassem and Bekele are triumphant in the Cinque Mulini. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-02-06.
  11. ^ Portugal double victory at the European Cup 10000m Archived 2011-06-08 at the Wayback Machine. European Athletics (2011-06-04). Retrieved on 2011-06-05.
  12. ^ IAAF Anti-Doping programme Daegu 2011 – standard Urine tests completed. IAAF (2011-11-04). Retrieved on 2012-03-31.
  13. ^ IAAF confirms 6-month bans for Lim and Moreira[dead link]. Boston (2012-02-01). Retrieved on 2012-06-10.
  14. ^ Ramsak, Bob (2012-06-04). Moreira and Kemboi Arikan take the European Cup 10,000m titles. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-06-10.
  15. ^ Martin, David (2012-10-21). Kogo defeats Kuma in Birmingham thriller - REPORT. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-02-10.
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Awards
Preceded by Portuguese Sportswoman of the Year
2013
Succeeded by