Geovana Irusta

Geovana Irusta Morejon (born September 26, 1975 in Sucre) is a female Bolivian racewalker.[1] She represented Bolivia in three editions of the Olympic Games (1996, 2000, and 2004), and has captured nine consecutive titles in both 10 and 20 km race walk at the South American Championships since her sporting debut in 1996.[2] She also set a personal best of 1:32:06 (20 km race walk) from La Coruña Grand Prix in Spain.[3]

Geovana Irusta
Personal information
Full nameGeovana Irusta Morejon
Nationality Bolivia
Born (1975-09-26) 26 September 1975
Sucre, Bolivia
Height1.53 m (5 ft 0 in)
Weight48 kg (106 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)Race walking
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)10 km walk: 45:03 (1997)
20 km walk: 1:32:06 (2004)

Irusta made her official debut at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, where she finished thirty-seventh in the women's 10 km race walk with a time of 47:13.[4]

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Irusta came from behind the pack through the halfway mark to take the forty-second spot in the inaugural 20 km race walk at a personal best of 1:43.34.[5]

Eight years after competing in her first Olympics, Irusta qualified for her third Bolivian team, as a 28-year-old, in the 20 km race walk at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens by attaining a B-standard entry time of 1:32:06 from La Coruña Grand Prix.[3] She surpassed Ukraine's Vira Zozulya and held off United States' Teresa Vaill by a ten-second edge on the final lap to cross the finish line with a forty-first place time in 1:38:36.[6][7] Building her own milestone as a three-time Olympian, Irusta was also appointed by the National Olympic Committee (Spanish: Comité Olímpico Boliviano) to carry the Bolivian flag in the opening ceremony.[8]

At the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Irusta almost claimed a silver medal in a tight finish against El Salvador's Cristina López in the same program, but was disqualified by the officials for lifting a third time at the final lap.[9]

References
  1. "Geovana Irusta". 27 September 2013. Archived from the original on 24 September 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-27.
  2. "Tiempo de Hirsuta en los 20 km – 1:41:20" [Irusta's time in 20 km – 1:41:20] (in Spanish). Los Tiempos. 10 April 2006. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  3. "Irusta está entre las mejores" [Irusta is among the best] (in Spanish). Caracol Radio. 8 August 2005. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  4. "Atlanta 1996: Athletics – Women's 10km Walk Final" (PDF). Atlanta 1996. LA84 Foundation. p. 120. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  5. "Sydney 2000: Athletics – Women's 20km Walk Final" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. p. 485. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  6. "Athletics: Women's 20km Race Walk Final". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  7. "Athens 2004: Athletics – Women's 20km Walk Final" (PDF). Athens 2004. LA84 Foundation. p. 387. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  8. "2004 Athens: Flag Bearers for the Opening Ceremony". Olympics. 13 August 2004. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  9. "Mirian Ramón se adjudicó medalla de plata en Panamericanos" [Mirian Ramón was awarded a silver medal in PanAm] (in Spanish). El Universo. 22 July 2007. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
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