José Luis Blanco Quevedo (born 3 June 1975 in

Lloret de Mar Lloret de Mar (; ) is a Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coastal town in Catalonia, Spain. It is south of Girona and northeast of Barcelona. With a population of 38,402 in 2021, it is the second largest town in the Selva (comarca), Selva comarc ...

) is a Spanish

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, ranging from 500 metres up to . The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distanc ...

who specialized in the

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually Abbreviation, abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase (athletics), steeplechase in track and field. It is an obstacle race over the distance of the 3000 met ...

. Blanco won a

silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...

in this event at the 2006 European Championships and the

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...

at the 2010 European Championships, later being stripped of the latter.

Career

At the 2006 European Championships, in a contest where pre-race favourite Simon Vroemen was ruled out due to food poisoning, Blanco tried to outrun the pack of competitors after the first three-thirds which were somewhat slow. Accelerating with 500 metres to go, Blanco led the race with one lap left. With 150 metres left, he was overcome by

Jukka Keskisalo Jukka Pekka Sakari Keskisalo (born 27 March 1981) is a Finnish athlete competing in 3000 m steeplechase and 1500 m. He won the 3000 m steeplechase at the 2006 European Championships in Athletics in Gothenburg and was also an Olympian in 2012. ...

, but hung on to second place. His personal best time is 8:12.86 minutes, achieved in

Huelva Huelva ( , , ) is a municipality of Spain and the capital of the Huelva (province), province of Huelva, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. Located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, it sits betwee ...

in June 2006. After winning the bronze medal at the 2010 European Championships, it was revealed that Blanco had tested positive for

erythropoietin Erythropoietin (; EPO), also known as erythropoetin, haematopoietin, or haemopoietin, is a glycoprotein cytokine secreted mainly by the kidneys in response to cellular hypoxia; it stimulates red blood cell production ( erythropoiesis) in th ...

at the Spanish Championships earlier that year. He received a two-year doping ban and would be stripped of his bronze medal which would go to the fourth placer,

Ion Luchianov Ion Luchianov (, ''Ivan Lukyanov''; born 31 January 1981 in Slobozia-Duşca, Criuleni) is a male steeplechaser from Moldova. He competed for his native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, where he finished ninth in his heat of ...

. Blanco also competed in cross-country running, featuring at the

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

and 2009 World Cross Country Championships, with his best placement being a 27th place from 2002.

International competitions

Notes

References

External links

* 1975 births Living people Athletes from Catalonia Sportsmen from Catalonia Sportspeople from the Province of Girona People from Lloret de Mar Spanish male middle-distance runners Spanish male steeplechase runners Olympic athletes for Spain Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for Spain European Athletics Championships medalists Doping cases in athletics Spanish sportspeople in doping cases Mediterranean Games silver medalists for Spain Mediterranean Games medalists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 2001 Mediterranean Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2009 Mediterranean Games 21st-century Spanish sportsmen Spanish Athletics Championships winners {{Spain-athletics-bio-stub