António Carlos Pina Zeferino (born 17 January 1966) is a

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

an athlete, specializing in long-distance running,

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair di ...

and

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

. Zeferino, a three-time Olympian, first competed for Cape Verde in a meet in Maia,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

setting a national record in the

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field. It is an obstacle race over the distance of the 3000 metres, which derives its name from the ...

which still stands today. The following year at the 1996 Summer Olympics in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, Zeferino made history along with Henry Andrade and

Isménia do Frederico Isménia do Frederico (born 15 June 1971) is a Cape Verdean sprinter. She was the first woman to represent Cape Verde at the Olympics. Do Frederico, a two-time Olympian, first competed for Cape Verde at the 1993 World Championships where she ...

by becoming the first athletes to represent the tiny African nation at the Olympic Games. In the men's marathon he finished 94th in a time of 2:34:13. The following year he competed in the 1997 World Championships, finishing 37th in the

with a time of 2:25:56. Two years later in February 1999, Zeferino recorded his best ever time in the marathon at the Sevilla Marathon finishing in 2:23:16. Six months later at the 1999 Championships, he finished the

slightly slower in 2:26:03 which placed him in 39th position. At the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

in Sydney, Zeferino improved on time and position from four years earlier crossing the line in 67th place in a time of 2:29:46. The following year, he completed at the 2001 World Championships, where he finished the

in 51st place in 2:32:46. Zeferino's final race was the

at the 2004 Athens Games where aged 38, he finished in 78th with a time of 2:36:22. Zeferino also completed in the

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school s ...

and the

2003 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The 12th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on October 4, 2003 in Vilamoura, Portugal. A total of 171 athletes, 98 men and 73 women, from 49 countries took part. Detailed reports on the event and an appraisal of the results were given ...

finishing 117th, 91st and 70th respectively and also completed in the

and the

2000 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior men's race The Senior men's race at the 2000 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held at the Sporting Complex in Vilamoura, Portugal, on March 19, 2000. Reports of the event were given in '' The New York Times'', in the Herald, and for the I ...

where he finished in 141st and 145th place respectively. After retiring from active competition Zeferino became an English teacher in Barcelos, Portugal where he resides.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeferino, Antonio 1966 births Living people Cape Verdean male long-distance runners Cape Verdean male marathon runners Cape Verdean steeplechase runners Olympic athletes for Cape Verde Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Place of birth missing (living people) Male steeplechase runners