Alberto Cruz (born 6 June 1972) is a Mexican former

racewalker Race walking, or racewalking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Race judges carefully asses ...

. He was a world junior champion and took a bronze medal at the

1993 IAAF World Race Walking Cup The 1993 IAAF World Race Walking Cup was held on 24 and 25 April 1993 in the streets of Monterrey, Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borde ...

. Amongst his senior honours are gold medals from the Central American and Caribbean and

Ibero-American Championships The Ibero-American Championships in Athletics (Spanish: ''Campeonato Iberoamericano de Atletismo'') is a biennial athletics competition for athletes representing Ibero-American countries as well as a number of other Spanish- or Portuguese-spea ...

Career

Cruz was highly successful as a

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Aircraft * Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft * PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft * SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider Arts and entertainment Characters * Bowser Jr., ...

athlete. He won three straight golds at the

Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics The Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships was a junior athletics competition held between the nations of Central America and the Caribbean Islands promoted by the Central American and Caribbean Athletic Confederation (CACAC). It i ...

, winning his first at the age of fourteen in 1986 and his last in 1990. He became world junior champion in 1988 and returned two years later to defend his title, narrowly finishing second behind

Ilya Markov Ilya Vladislavovich Markov (, born 19 June 1972 in Asbest, Russian SFSR) is a Russian race walker Race walking, or racewalking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in t ...

(who would go on to win an Olympic medal in the sport). Cruz also won two consecutive gold medals at the

Pan American Junior Athletics Championships The Pan American U20 Athletics Championships are a biennial sports event for track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and thr ...

(1989 and 1991). On his senior debut for Mexico, a sixteen-year-old Cruz was disqualified at the 1988 Pan American Race Walking Cup. He performed well in his subsequent outings, however, taking tenth at the

1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 2nd IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Budapest Sportcsarnok in Budapest, Hungary from March 3 to March 5, 1989. There were a total number of 373 participating athletes from 62 countries. Results Men 1985 , 1987 , ...

and fourth at the 1990 Pan American Race Walking Cup, which was held on hom turf and saw a Mexican sweep of the top four with Ernesto Canto, Joel Sánchez (racewalker), Joel Sánchez and Carlos Mercenario.Aguilera, Rubén. . Association of Panamerican Athletics, pg. 122. Retrieved on 2016-02-27. He established himself regionally with a gold medal win at the 1991 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics held in Xalapa, Mexico, beating his compatriot and runner-up Víctor Sánchez (athlete), Víctor Sánchez by over three minutes. His finishing time of 1:27:09 hours was a championship record. Another gold medal followed in the 20,000 metres track walk at the 1992 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics, bettering South American opposition in Clodomiro Moreno and Jefferson Pérez. Cruz appeared to signify a move into the global elite with a bronze medal at the

, joining countryman Daniel García (racewalker), Daniel García on the podium in Monterrey, Mexico.World and Continental Race Walking Championships
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-02-27. However, this proved to be one of the last high-profile performances of his career. He made one more international outing at the 2000 Pan American Race Walking Cup, but failed to finish the event.

International competitions

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Alberto Living people 1972 births Mexican male race walkers Japan Championships in Athletics winners 20th-century Mexican people