From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cuban middle-distance runner
In this
Spanish name , the first or paternal
surname is
Almanza and the second or maternal family name is
Blanco .
Rose Mary Almanza Blanco (born 13 July 1992) is a
Cuban
middle-distance runner who competes in the
800 metres . She represented Cuba at the
Pan American Games in 2011, 2015, 2019 and won medals at the
Ibero-American and
Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics .She was world champion in the 4x400 meter relay in Silesia 2021
Career
Almanza ran internationally from a young age, coming fourth at the
2009 World Youth Championships in Athletics before taking the 800 m title at the
Pan American Junior Championships .
[3]
[4] She won at the
Barrientos Memorial in March 2010 and followed this with a personal best of 2:03.03 to take the
silver medal at the
2010 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics .
[5]
[6] She ran a national junior record of 2:02.04 in
Havana in July and came fourth at the
2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics .
[4]
In 2011, she improved her record further to 2:00.56 and won her first senior regional medal at the
2011 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics , placing second in the 800 m behind
Gabriela Medina .
[7] She came close to a medal at the
2011 Pan American Games , but was edged into fourth place in the final.
[8]
She began 2012 in strong form, taking silver medals in the 800 m and
4×400 metres relay at the
Ibero-American Championships .
[9]
[10] A run of 1:59.55 in Havana was enough to gain her a place on the
Cuban squad for the
2012 London Olympics .
[4]
[11]
Almanza continued to perform at a high level in subsequent years. She set a 1:57.70 personal best in 2015, participated in the
2016 Rio Olympics and won the 800m title in the
2017 Summer Universiade .
By June 2021, Almanza had returned to career-best form in the 800m, running another personal best and world-leading time of 1:56.42 in
Ordizia ,
Spain .
[12]
Personal bests
Event
Result
Venue
Date
800 m
1:56.28
Stockholm
4 July 2021
800 m indoor
2:04.18
Eaubonne
9 February 2016
1500 m
4:14.53
La Habana
9 Oct 2014
International competitions
Year
Competition
Venue
Position
Event
Notes
Representing
Cuba
2009
ALBA Games
La Habana ,
Cuba
4th
1500 m
4:30.20
World Youth Championships
Bressanone ,
Italy
4th
800 m
2:04.31
Pan American Junior Championships
Port of Spain ,
Trinidad and Tobago
1st
800 m
2:03.83
2010
Ibero-American Championships
San Fernando ,
Spain
2nd
800m
2:03.03
World Junior Championships
Moncton, New Brunswick ,
Canada
4th
800 m
2:02.67
2011
Central American and Caribbean Championships
Mayagüez ,
Puerto Rico
2nd
800m
2:02.23
Pan American Games
Guadalajara ,
México
4th
800m
2:04.82 A
2012
Ibero-American Championships
Barquisimeto ,
Venezuela
2nd
800 m
2:03.29
2nd
4 × 400 m relay
3:29.13
Olympic Games
London ,
United Kingdom
6th (sf)
800 m
2:01.70
2013
Central American and Caribbean Championships
Morelia ,
México
3rd
800m
2:03.10 A
World Championships
Moscow ,
Russia
11th (sf)
800 m
2:00.98
2014
Pan American Sports Festival
Mexico City , Mexico
1st
800 m
2:03.56 A
Central American and Caribbean Games
Xalapa , Mexico
1st
800 m
2:00.79 A
2015
World Championships
Beijing, China
20th (sf)
800 m
2:00.38
2016
World Indoor Championships
Portland, United States
16th (h)
800 m
2:08.07
Olympic Games
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
26th (h)
800 m
2:00.50
2017
World Championships
London, United Kingdom
8th (sf)
800 m
1:59.79
Universiade
Taipei, Taiwan
1st
800 m
2:02.21
2018
Central American and Caribbean Games
Barranquilla, Colombia
1st
800 m
2:01.63
1st
1500 m
4:22.14
1st
4 × 400 m relay
3:32.61
NACAC Championships
Toronto, Canada
3rd
800 m
2:00.15
2019
Pan American Games
Lima, Peru
2nd
800 m
2:01.64
7th
1500 m
4:14.81
4th
4 × 400 m relay
3:30.89
World Championships
Doha, Qatar
13th (sf)
800 m
2:01.18
13th (h)
4 × 400 m relay
3:29.84
2021
World Relays
Chorzów, Poland
1st
4 × 400 m relay
3:28.41
Olympic Games
Tokyo, Japan
11th (sf)
800 m
1:59.65
8th
4 × 400 m relay
3:26.92
2022
World Championships
Eugene, United States
27th (h)
800 m
2:01.96
2023
ALBA Games
Caracas, Venezuela
1st
800 m
1:59.69
1st
1500 m
4:25.69
1st
4 × 400 m relay
3:33.37
Central American and Caribbean Games
San Salvador, El Salvador
1st
800 m
2:01.75
1st
4 × 400 m relay
3:26.08
World Championships
Budapest, Hungary
38th (h)
800 m
2:01.33
13th (h)
4 × 400 m relay
3:29.70
Pan American Games
Santiago, Chile
4th
800 m
2:03.68
References
External links