António Carlos Carvalho Nogueira Leitão OIH (22 July 1960 – 18 March 2012) was a Portuguese athlete who mainly competed in the long-distance events.

Career

Born in Espinho, Leitão competed for Portugal at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

, where he won the bronze medal in the men's 5000 metres event. Following this result, he was viewed as one of the most promising athletes in his specialty; however, several injuries prevented him from participating in any further Olympic Games. He also competed for the Portuguese club Benfica.

Death

Leitão died in

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

from complications due to

hemochromatosis Iron overload is the abnormal and increased accumulation of total iron in the body, leading to organ damage. The primary mechanism of organ damage is oxidative stress, as elevated intracellular iron levels increase free radical formation via the ...

. Following his death, the ''Corrida António Leitão'' was created, which is an annual athletics competition in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

organized by Benfica.

Orders

Officer of the

Order of Prince Henry The Order of Prince Henry () is a Portuguese order of knighthood created on 2 June 1960, to commemorate the quincentenary of the death of the Portuguese ''infante'' Prince Henry the Navigator, one of the main initiators of the Age of Discovery. M ...

References

External links

* 1960 births 2012 deaths Sportspeople from Espinho, Portugal Portuguese male long-distance runners Olympic bronze medalists for Portugal Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Portugal S.L. Benfica athletes Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) 20th-century Portuguese sportsmen {{Portugal-Olympic-medalist-stub