Portugal-born and -bred Rosa Mota is a former marathon runner. She made Olympic history in Seoul, South Korea in 1988 by becoming the first athlete from Portugal to win a gold medal.
Quick Facts about Rosa Mota
| Full Name | Rosa Maria Correia dos Santos Mota |
| Also Known as | Rosa Mota |
| Date of Birth | June 29, 1958 |
| Birth Place | Porto, Portugal |
| Father’s Name | Not available (N/A) |
| Mother’s Name | Not available (N/A) |
| Siblings | One sister and two brothers: Name not available |
| High School | Oporto British School(OBS) |
| College | Not available (N/A) |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
| Age | 64 |
| Height | 5 ft. 2 in (1.57m) |
| Weight | 99 lbs (45 kg) |
| Body type | Athletic |
| Profession | Track and field athletics |
| Active Years | 1980-1992 |
| Gender | Female |
| Current Status | Retired |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse | Jose Pedrosa |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Children | Not available (N/A) |
| Ethnicity | Caucasian |
| Net Worth | $3 million – $5 million |
| Social Media | Not available (N/A) |
| Merch | Chicago Marathon Cup |
| Last Update | July, 2022 |
What is the Net Worth of Rosa Mota?
Rosa Mota hasn’t shared her earnings or compensation to yet. She does, however, have a net worth of $3 To $5 million. During her active years, several brands sponsored her. She has also won cash and honors from the Portugal government.
However, she has a lot of money to enjoy her life to the fullest. It must be her thing, but she has no interest in any fancy stuff like a car, yacht, etc.
Rosa Mota | Family, Education, and Early Life
Porto, a significant city in Portugal, is where Rosa was born and reared. As she was reared in such a major metropolis, she had access to all the facilities needed. She claimed that during her active years, she also participated in other sports. She has excelled at cycling and swimming since she was a teenager.
Rosa overcame her asthma, despite the fact that it was once diagnosed in her childhood and might have been a significant obstacle to her dream. Rosa started running to conquer her dread of night. There is no such association between darkness and running, yet running made her feel calm and comfortable.
Rosa’s Asthma and Sciatica had been plaguing her since she was a child, but it couldn’t be a hurdle to her achievement. Mota had two siblings, a brother, and a sister. She is the middle child in her family after her brother. Basic information about her siblings and parents is likewise not available. She is Caucasian, and her family was Christian.
Rosa’s parents were not educated, due to which she had to confront various hurdles during her early career. Being a sportsperson was not more manageable at that time for women as it is now. Mota completed her secondary school education at Oporto British School in 1976. Although there isn’t more information surrounding her scholastic life, she participated in cross-country races while in high school.
Although she completed high school, she didn’t go college for higher education. She started her career as a marathon runner after she graduated from high school in 1976.
Rosa Mota | Age and Body Outlook
Rosa was born on June 29, 1958, in Porto, Portugal. She is 64 years old. She stands at a height of 5 feet 2 inches. Also she has maintained her weight and kept physically active because she is an athlete. Her weight is 45 kg or 99 pounds.
Since she was a kid, she had always been a small person, both in terms of weight and height. Her career benefited from her modest size and weight. Nothing is known about her body measurements.
Rosa Mota | Career
Portuguese Marathon racer Rosa Maria Correia dos Santos Mota, popularly known as Rosa Mota, is considered the elite female marathon runner of all time. During her tenure, she ran a total of 21 races in 10 years between 1982 and 1992. Out of which, she won 14 races for which she is hailed as the greatest of all time.
Rosa was presented with the Abebe Bikila Award in recognition of contributions to the development of long-distance race training by the United Nations(UN) (UN). She is also described as the Muhammad Ali of the marathon. Despite her suffering from asthma, she managed to win multiple marathons and international championships.
Olympics
In the early days, Rosa was involved cross country racing and made a national record in 300 meters and 1500 meters. But later on, she found lengthy races like marathons more thrilling and decided to go on to it, which eventually worked very well for her.
Rosa was the first female athlete to capture the gold medal in Olympics for Portugal. At the Seoul Olympics in 1988, she realized her aim of a Gold medal. Rosa beat the silver medallist Lisa Martin by 13 seconds. She established history by becoming the first female to win gold in Olympics for Portugal. Since then, she never had to look behind her career.
Seoul Olympics wasn’t the first Olympics she competed in. She partook in the Olympics events since 1984. In the Los Angeles Olympics, Rosa earned the bronze medal for her country. Apart from the Olympics, she represented her country in several world stages and won different trophies.
European Championships Career
Rosa started her career as a marathon runner professionally on the European championship in the year 1982, which was hosted in Athens, Greece. She was successful in notching gold for her country on her first-ever marathon.
European Championship was again held in 1986, which was hosted by Germany, in which she again was successful in earning the title. It was her second time in a row as the European champion. Rosa Mota was earning titles, gold and conquering every marathon competition.
In 1990, she again won gold in the European tournament. Split, Croatia, hosted it. She became the only female athlete to win the European Athletics Championship three consecutive times. This was her third time winning the European title. She was making records on every stage of her career.
World Championships and Other Achievements
In 1983, the year after she was a European champion, Rosa took part in the world championship, which didn’t go so well that she finished fourth. It was one of the poorest results of her career. But she wasn’t the one to accept the failure and relax. She trained herself so thoroughly that she won the Gold at the 1987 World Championship held in Rome.
As we are talking about World Championship, Rosa participated in the 1991 World championship. But luck was not on her side this time, since her childhood condition Asthma caused issues. Due to which she couldn’t finish the marathon and be compelled to abandon the track. It was all due of her condition.
Apart from the Olympics, European championships, and world championships, the Portuguese participated in other marathons during her active years. Rosa won the Boston marathon three times in 1987, 1988, and 1990 consecutively which was not everyone’s cup of tea.
She won the Chicago Marathon of 1983 and 1984. In 1982 she won the Rotterdam marathon. She won the Osaka Marathon of 1990. In the Los Angeles marathon of 1989, she finished second. Mota finished third in the Chicago marathon of 1985 and won the bronze medal. After that, Rosa also won the London marathon in 1991. It was the last marathon she won. She participated in some additional marathons, but tragically, she couldn’t win any.
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Marriage and Kids of Rosa Mota
Rosa Mota has been married to her husband for more than 40 years. Jose Pedrosa is her husband’s name. Jose is also a Marathoner by profession. During training in Oporto, they first met. After training together for some years, they fell in love. In 1980, they finally agreed to marry and stay together. Since then, they have been together without any dispute.
However, Rosa and Jose don’t have any children. At her prime time i.e., 1980-1990, the passionate runner was concentrated on her career and had no thoughts of bearing a child. Her spouse was also extremely supportive, so he didn’t force her. They both were educated, and it was not a major issue.
Social Media Presence
Rosa Mota has no presence on any of the social media. And we can assume that she won’t be participating in the future too.
Frequently Asked Question
Is Rosa Mota still alive?
Yes, as of July, 2022 Rosa is still alive, and her health state is fairly good.
Is Rosa Mota Divorced?
No, she is still in a relationship with her spouse. The current hubby is her one and only husband.