This Sunday, Benfica’s Samuel Barata entered the top 10 of the best Portuguese in the Marathon, completing the race in Hamburg, Germany, in 2:10.13 hours, a score that put him 10th in the competition.
Samuel Barata became the 10th best Portuguese athlete ever by distance, with a record that is still a personal best and the best Portuguese mark at the time, a few days after Rui Pinto, also with a personal best, clocked 2:11.23 in the marathon in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
The record of both places them as the best Portuguese in the marathon since 2006, when Luís Jesus clocked 2:08.55 in Paris.
The best mark by a Portuguese in the distance is still by António Pinto, with 2:06.36 in London, in April 2000.
Behind António Pinto, in the ranking of the best Portuguese times in the marathon, are Carlos Lopes (2:07.12, in 1985), Domingos Castro (2:07.51, in 1997), Manuel Matias (2:08.33, in 1994), Luís Jesus (2:08.55, in 2006), Joaquim Pinheiro (2:09.11, in 1997), Alberto Chaíça (2:09.25, in 1997), Luís Novo (2:09.41, in 2004) and Hélder Ornelas (2:10.00 , in 2005).
Samuel Barata’s current mark now appears behind Ornelas in the Portuguese marathon ranking, and ahead of Joaquim Silva (2:10.42, in 1994).
Source: DN
