Carlos Lopes

Carlos Lopes (Google Images)

Andrew Bernstein once stated, “… the hero is the man who lets no obstacle prevent him from pursuing the values he has chosen.” A hero does not let anything stand in his way while he is trying to achieve his goal. A hero is not always famous and does not need to be famous. Heroes are brave, responsible, loyal, and strong inside. Carlos Lopes is a famous track star from Portugal who is considered a hero in Portugal.

Carlos Alberto de Sousa Lopes was born in Vildemoinhos, Portugal in 1947. Lopes is one of the many famous Portugal track stars. At the Montreal Olympics in 1976, Lopes competed in the 10.000 meters and finished in second place, earning a Silver Medal. The Los Angeles Marathon in 1984 was one other competitive race he competed in, but instead of finishing second he finished in first winning the Gold Medal.

Carlos Lopes Winning the Gold Medal (Google Images)

Carlos was a very athletic track and field star. With a week to go until the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, Lopes was run over by a car in Lisbon. Luckily, Lopes was not hurt. When Carlos Lopes won his first gold medal in Los Angeles, Portugal celebrated because it was their first Olympic title ever. When Lopes started his season in 1976, he started with an easy win, an IAAF World Cross Country Championship at Chepstow.

Carlos Lopes has many qualities of a hero that describe him. One of those qualities is commitment to everything that he attempted in track and field. Hard-working is a great quality Lopes also has. When he was run over by a car, he didn’t give up. Determination describes Carlos because he was always determined to do his best in a race or marathon.

Carlos Lopes Jumping Over a Hurdle (Google Images)

A hero is brave, responsible, loyal, and strong. Carlos Lopes is a famous track star from Portugal. He is considered a hero in Portugal because he is the first Olympic gold medalist in track and field competitor from Portugal. In summary, Carlos Lopes is a hero from Portugal because of track and field.