Raidel Acea Morales (born 31 October 1990) is a Cuban-born
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 throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
athlete who competes for Portugal in the
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is ...
and
800 metres
The 800 metres, or 800 meters (American and British English spelling differences#-re.2C -er, US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of a ...
events. The 2009 Pan American junior champion over 800 m, he won the bronze medal in the event at the
2011 Pan American Games
The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games () and commonly known as Guadalajara 2011, were an international multi-sport event held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby c ...
.
Born and raised in the Cuban city of
Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos (), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about from Havana and has a population of 178,368 in 2022. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, ...
, Acea began taking part in athletics at the age of ten and started out as a 400 m runner. As he grew older, he began running in the 800 m as well upon the advice of the coaches at his local high performance sports centre. His first successes came at the age of eighteen in the 2009 season. After placing third at the Rafael Fortún Memorial he claimed the 800 m
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, ...
Barrientos Memorial
The Barrientos Memorial () is an annual track and field meeting in Havana, Cuba each May. The event was first held in 1946, in recognition of José Barrientos (a former Cuban Olympic sprinter), who died in an aviation accident the previous year. ...
in May then ran a 400 m personal best of 46.19 seconds the following month. His season ended on a high as he won the 800 m title for Cuba at the
2009 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships
The 2009 Pan American Junior Championships were held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on July 31 to August 2, 2009.
A report on the
results was given.
Participation (unofficial)
Detailed result lists can ...
.
In 2010, Acea faltered in his first year as a senior athlete. He managed third over 800 m at both the Barrientos meet and the Olimpiada del Deporte Cubano, but did not improve in his performances. Acea judged that he needed the season to adjust to the higher senior level. He made his senior breakthrough the very next season, starting with an 800 m win at the Copa Cuba national championships, where he was also second over 400 m.Raidel Acea Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 8 November 2011. A duel between Acea and his more senior rival Andy González proved to be a highlight of the Barrientos Memorial, and it was the younger Cuban who won and set a personal best of 1:45.62 minutes. He won medals at the
2011 ALBA Games
The IV ALBA Games (Spanish: ''Juegos del ALBA Bicentenario'') is a multi-sport event held between 17–30 July 2011 in ten different states of Venezuela. The games are organized by the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA).
Participating ...
, claiming the 800 m title and taking a silver medal with Cuba's
4×400 metres relay
A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pro ...
team. He was chosen to represent Cuba at the
2011 Pan American Games
The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games () and commonly known as Guadalajara 2011, were an international multi-sport event held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby c ...
and while his older compatriot González won the 800 m title, Acea earned 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 ...
with his sprint finish. He reached the podium for a second time at the event as part of Cuba's 4 × 400 m relay squad: Noel Ruíz, Acea,
Omar Cisneros
Omar Cisneros Bonora (born 19 November 1989) is a Cuban track and field athlete who competes in the 400 metres hurdles. He is the Cuban records in athletics, Cuban national record holder for the event with his personal best of 47.99 seconds. ...