Brazilian who wanted to be a football player but became a marathon runner: Who is Vanderlei de Lima?

The Parana River marks the border between Brazil and Paraguay. In 1972, Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano was traveling in this region. He used the bridge over the river to cross from Paraguay to Brazil. Meanwhile, he saw a message engraved on a rock:

“Paraguayans lost their water, but water is not everything!”

This message may have emerged as a manifestation of a socio-political process. Of course, there is a loss, but it turns out that; Feelings are haunted by things that are deemed more valuable. A story similar to this bitterness of the Paraguayans will emerge years later on the other side of the river, on a completely different level.

Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima (born 4 July 1969) is a Brazilian retired long-distance runner. He was born in Cruzeiro do Oeste, Paraná. While leading the marathon after 35 km at the 2004 Summer Olympics, he was attacked on the course by Irish former priest Cornelius "Neil" Horan. Following the incident, Lima fell from first to third place, eventually winning the bronze medal. He was later awarded the Pierre de Coubertin medal for his sportsmanship shown in that race.

A boy from Parana, who was only three years old when Galeano was visiting Parana, would become one of the world's most famous losers years later: Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima.

Vanderlei was born in 1969 in Cruzeiro do Oeste, Parana state. He was forced to do various jobs from an early age to contribute to the crowded family consisting of his mother, father, and six siblings. However, he spent most of his time on sugar cane farms. Running from one farm to another during harvest time, Vanderlei probably didn't realize at that age that he would focus on the "running" part of the job for most of his life.

Vanderlei's first passion was football, which is ingrained in the genetic code of every Brazilian child. It was a good thing that Vanderlei, who plays in the right-back position and dreams of playing for the Brazilian National Team one day, did not insist too much on this discipline. Because it is obvious that he will not have much chance against legendary right-back Cafu, who is his age.

“I met athletics when I was 14 years old. A physical education teacher saw potential in me. “My first victory was in a road race in Parana.”

Vanderlei, who started athletics by being "discovered", is a little different from the transition to the marathon. This time, Vanderlei would make a discovery himself.

“In the autumn of 1994, I participated in the Reims Marathon. Actually, I was going to be a 'rabbit athlete' until the 21st kilometer. But towards the middle of the race, I felt so comfortable that I decided to continue. First I passed 30 km. Then I continued until the end. “And in the end, I won.”

Yes, Vanderlei may have won his first marathon, but he knew very well that getting to the top was not that easy. He would soon measure his height at the Olympics. He qualified for the Brazilian Olympic Team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He wasn't very ambitious, he was more focused on gaining experience. He could only finish 47th in the marathon, which included hilly courses.

Even though Vanderlei later achieved good results in the marathons he participated in in Tokyo and New York and became the champion in the Pan-American Games, the Olympics were always on his mind. But things did not go well in Sydney in 2000. He was injured while preparing for another marathon before the Olympics and could not shake the effects of this injury. The result was even worse than the previous one. He was 75th. But he still hadn't stopped his dreams.

A year before the 2004 Athens Olympics, Vanderlei once again became the Pan-American Games champion. Winning again after a very tough race increased his Olympic motivation to higher levels. This time he would keep it tight. They made a training plan with their coach D'Angelo. The most important feature of this plan was that the Paipa region in Colombia was chosen as the location. In addition to being a place famous for its thermal waters, Paipa was approximately 2500 meters above sea level. The fact that the altitude was so high provided great advantages for long-distance runners.

When they arrived in Athens, Vanderlei's coach, D'Angelo, did not have access to many Olympic-related venues. Because D'Angelo was not an official member of the Brazilian Olympic Team. However, he found a solution to keep Vanderlei by his side throughout the race: writing him a letter.

Vanderlei; During the race, he would encounter a situation that no tactics could overcome and no training could prevent. At first, everything was going well. The reward of all his efforts was waiting for him at the end of the road ahead of him. Moreover, Vanderlei was at the forefront of this journey. At the 35th kilometer of the race, he was running as the leader with steely concentration. But at that moment the “unforeseen” happened.

An Irish priest in his green beret, green vest, and brick skirt jumped onto the road. He had only one goal in mind. Pastor Neil Horan pushed Varderlei and dragged him off the road. Vanderlei could not understand what was happening and was spreading his hands to the side in surprise. While the crowd on the roadside could not make sense of this scene, one of them acted early and intervened with Horan. Vanderlei freed himself and started running again, but his motivation had completely dissipated.

Vanderlei was passed by the two athletes following him after the attack. He had lost his rhythm, motivation, and hope. But at this moment, D'Angelo's letter came to his mind. He had a lot of people behind him and he couldn't let them down. He had to continue. Whatever happens…

He won the bronze medal at the end of the race. He was also rewarded with the Pierre de Coubertin medal for his contribution to the Olympic spirit. The priest was arrested and excommunicated by the church. The festival dispersed, and a bitter wind remained.

This painful incident Vanderlei experienced probably cost him a gold medal. True to form, the bitterness of this situation will be a part of him throughout his life. However, despite everything, the bronze medal he achieved in his last effort not to disappoint those who believed in him and worked hard is more valuable than many gold medals.

Maybe he lost his gold medal, but gold medals aren't everything!