Letitia Vriesde
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Letitia Alma Vriesde (born 5 October 1964) is a former track and field athlete from
Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...
, who specialised in the 800 metres but was also successful over 1500 metres. She is the first (and to date, only) sportsperson from Suriname to compete at five Olympic Games. She won a silver medal at the 1995 World Championships and a bronze medal at the 2001 World Championships. Vriesde holds the South American records for the 800 metres, 1000 metres and 1500 metres (indoors and outdoors) and also for the 3000 metres (indoors).


Career

Vriesde started running in Suriname, coached by Luiz de Oliveira. She left Suriname after failing to be selected for the 1984 Olympics to train in the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. In the Netherlands, Vriesde competed for Atletiekvereniging Rotterdam. She competed in the 800 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics, and broke into the highest echelons of the sport in 1991, when she reached the finals of both the 800 and 1500 metres at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, finishing in fifth and ninth places respectively. At the
1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...
Vriesde set a record of sorts by recording the fastest ever non-qualifying time (1:58.28) in an 800 metres semi-final. Vriesde won a bronze medal in the 800 metres at the 1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships, before going on to win a silver medal at the
1995 World Championships in Athletics The 5th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Ullevi, Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg, Sweden on 5–13 August 1995. This edition featured 1804 athletes from ...
behind Cuba's Ana Quirot. At both competitions, she became the first South American female athlete to win a medal. A year later, she missed the finals at the
1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
, running a nearly identical time to her 1992 Olympic performance (1:58.29), again placing fifth in her semifinal. Vriesde won a bronze medal in the 800 metres at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics behind Mozambique's Maria Mutola and Austria's Stephanie Graf. Throughout her career, Vriesde also won many medals at the Pan American Games, Central American and Caribbean Games and South American Games. Vriesde was disqualified and stripped of her gold medal at the 2003 Pan American Games after testing positive for excessive caffeine levels. She was said to have the equivalent of five gallons of coffee in her system. She was not banned however and went on to compete at that year's World Championships. Drinking too much coffee or taking a common cold tablet would no longer get athletes disqualified after a new global list of banned substances was drawn up by the World Anti-Doping Agency and applied from 1 January 2004. Vriesde retired soon after competing at her seventh World Championships in 2005. In Paramaribo a street formerly known as ''Cultuurtuinlaan'' was changed into ''Letitia Vriesdelaan''. The Surinamese Government also gave her a piece of land in appreciation of her achievements.


Personal life

Vriesde married Bas van Veen on 9 September 2005 in Middelburg, Holland. Her daughter Joi Vienna was born on 19 March 2007.


Personal bests

*400 m 52.01 (1997) *800 m 1:56.68 (1995) *1000 m 2:32.25 (1991) *1500 m 4:05.67 (1991) *Mile 4:30.45 (1992) *3000 m 9:15.64 (1991) As of 2017, Vriesde's 800m best of 1:56.68 ranks her 58th on the World all-time list.


Vriesde’s top 10 800 m performances

* 1:56.68 AR 2 WCh Gothenburg 13.08.95 * * * 1:57.07 3rA WK Zürich 16.08.95 * * * 1:57.09 3 Her Monte Carlo 10.08.96 * * * 1:57.16 4= GPF Monte Carlo 09.09.95 * * * 1:57.35 3 WCh Edmonton 12.08.01 * * * 1:57.86 4 Her Monte Carlo 16.08.97 * * * 1:57.96 AR 5 APM Hengelo 28.06.92 * * * 1:57.98 2 Nikaïa Nice 16.07.97 * * * 1:58.11 2 ISTAF Berlin 01.09.95 * * * 1:58.12 4 WCh Athens 09.08.97


World rankings

Women's 800 m * 1990 #26 * 1991 #9 * 1992 #9 * 1993 #38 * 1994 #72 * 1995 #4 * 1996 #8 * 1997 #4 * 1998 #7 * 1999 #9 * 2000 #14 * 2001 #4 * 2002 #31 * 2003 #44 * 2004 #63 Women's 1500 * 1990 #83 * 1991 #17 Women's 400 m *1997 #54


Olympic Games glossary


800 metres event history

*1988 Seoul round one heat 4 4th 2:01.83 *1988 Seoul semi-finals heat 2 8th 2:02.34 *1992 Barcelona round one heat 3 2nd 1:59.93 *1992 Barcelona semi-finals heat 1 5th 1:58.28 *1996 Atlanta round one heat 1 2nd 1:59.71 *1996 Atlanta semi-finals heat 2 5th 1:58.29 *2000 Sydney round one heat 2 4th 2:02.09 *2004 Athens round one heat 3 4th 2:01.70 *2004 Athens semi-finals heat 3 8th 2:06.95


1500 metres event history

*1988 Seoul round one heat 2 12th 4:19.58 *1992 Barcelona round one heat 2 5th 4:10.63 *1992 Barcelona semi-finals heat 1 8th 4:09.64


Competition record

1Representing the Americas


See also

* List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences * List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games


References


External links


Website of Letitia Vriesde (in Dutch)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vriesde, Letitia 1964 births Living people Doping cases in athletics Surinamese female middle-distance runners 20th-century Surinamese sportswomen Surinamese steeplechase runners Olympic athletes for Suriname Surinamese sportspeople in doping cases Athletes (track and field) at the 1991 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1995 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1999 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2003 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics 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 People from Coronie District Pan American Games gold medalists for Suriname Pan American Games silver medalists for Suriname Pan American Games bronze medalists for Suriname Pan American Games gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games silver medalists in athletics (track and field) World Athletics Championships medalists World Athletics Championships athletes for Suriname Female steeplechase runners Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Suriname Central American and Caribbean Games silver medalists for Suriname Competitors at the 1990 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games South American Games gold medalists for Suriname South American Games silver medalists for Suriname South American Games medalists in athletics Competitors at the 1990 South American Games Competitors at the 1994 South American Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games