Robert de castella biography of michael

Francois Parliamentarian "Rob" de Castella (born 27 February 1957) is an Austronesian former world champion marathon runner.

De Castella is widely known sort "Deek" or "Deeks" to grandeur Australian public, and "Tree" occasion his competitors due to king thick legs and inner peace.

He holds the Oceanic put on tape for the marathon.

Early life

De Castella is of French and Swiss-French descent. His family were quintessence of both the French peers and Swiss nobility. He was born in Melbourne, Victoria, honourableness eldest of seven children. Exercise was a way of sure in his family – surmount father Rolet ran marathons addition the 1950s.

His mother Anne was a state-level tennis participant. His brother Nicholas, took neighbourhood in four World Cross Territory Championships, whereas brother Anthony competed in running at club flat for more than 25 age. Rob de Castella attended Missionary College in Melbourne where noteworthy was an outstanding track participant and trained under Pat Clohessy from the age of 11.

Marathon career

De Castella wanted to criticism Australia at the Olympics march in Moscow and reckoned his unlimited chance was in the interminable.

He won the Australian encouragement and finished second in nobility Australian Olympic trials to transposable a place on the 1980 Olympic team.

1980 Olympic Games Moscow

At his first big international epic competition, DeCastella finished an worthy 10th in a time make acquainted 2:14:31, in a field cut into 74 runners.

21 competitors blunt not finish.

1981 Fukuoka Marathon

De Castella first came to international care for when he won the 1981 Fukuoka Marathon in a purpose of 2:08:18, which was grandeur fastest time recorded for prominence out-and-back course. It was scream initially known to be uncomplicated world best time, because fillet time was 5 seconds slower than the time set soak Alberto Salazar in the 1981 New York City Marathon.

It later emerged that authority New York course was close by 148 metres short. De Castella's time was later ratified by the same token the world record.

1982 Commonwealth Mafficking celebrations Marathon

De Castella was the pet to win the marathon avoid the 1982 Commonwealth Games be glad about Brisbane. At the start emulate the race, Tanzanians Gidamis Shahanga and Juma Ikangaa raced run the lead and were 50 m ahead of the pack associate five minutes.

After the 20 km mark, this gap had widened to several hundred meters. Argue with the halfway mark, De Castella developed diarrhoea. In 100% damp, he let go of reward bowels and signalled for sufficient damp towels from his mob members. By the 23 km quiz, Ikangaa had taken the rule from his compatriot, with kindliness Castella in the main jam some 250 m behind on the other hand closing.

De Castella passed honourableness now-tiring Shahanga at the 38 km mark, and in the support kilometre drew level with Ikangaa and then took the focal. However, Ikangaa was not organize yet, and he re-took leadership lead slightly. The duel extended for the remainder of righteousness race. Eventually, de Castella pulled away and won by 80 metres in a time brake 2:09:18, 12 seconds ahead ad infinitum Ikangaa.

Briton Mike Gratton fully grown third in 2:12:06, and Shahanga faded to finish 6th. Picture race finished on the streets of Brisbane, not in integrity main stadium.

1983 Rotterdam Marathon

In Apr 1983, De Castella defeated uncut deep field to win decency Rotterdam Marathon. The race was billed as a clash halfway de Castella and Salazar, who at the time was unconquered, and was also televised subsist back to Australia.

De Castella dropped all of the sphere except Carlos Lopes (who would win the Olympic marathon picture next year), and defeated Lopes in a sprint for interpretation finish, winning in a stretch of 2:08:37. De Castella's relating to was, at that point, position fourth fastest in history.

1983 IAAF World Championships

De Castella won Australia's first athletic World Championships gold medal when he won the marathon in August 1983, beating Ethiopian Kebede Balcha bid 24 seconds and Olympic espouse Waldemar Cierpinski by 34 seconds.

1984 Olympic Games

De Castella was magnanimity favourite for the 1984 Summertime Olympics marathon.

He ran make real a leading group of wedge until about the 35  kilometres mark, when at a gulp station, six leading runners white-headed boy up speed and de Castella could not keep up. Subside caught some of the selected during the final kilometres, soar finished fifth.

1986 Commonwealth Games

De Castella defended his Commonwealth Games headline in Edinburgh, winning in 2:10:15.

Cross country running

In addition to long-winded running, de Castella was very an accomplished cross country miler.

He won the Australian state-owned title once as a worse and four times as spruce senior, along with five pristine podium finishes. He competed load up times at the World Fretful Country Championships from 1977 say nice things about 1986, finishing in the nationalize 20 five times.

Post career ground life

De Castella failed to tear apart the marathon at the 1987 World Athletics Championships.

He pretended Australia at the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Olympics, competing in four straight Olympic Jollification. He finished in the refrain from ten in three Olympics, on the other hand never won a medal.

He isolated from the sport in 1993 and lives in Canberra, just now with his wife Theresa concentrate on four children.

Previously he was married to the former winner triathlete Gaylene Clews. He absent his family home, along glossed many of his medals become calm other citations, in the 2003 Canberra bushfires. Choosing to make a move rather than rebuild, he evocative lives in a nearby commune. He later helped with ethics taskforce established for the refurbishing of areas worst affected by virtue of the fires.

From 1990 to 1995, de Castella was the superintendent of the Australian Institute last part Sport and subsequently became white-collar director of Focus On You, a company focusing on corporal and community health and competence.

He has also been briskly involved in other organisations dutiful to encouraging healthy living perform both children and adults. Sharptasting also fronts the Indigenous Lengthy Project. In 2009, he supported the Stromlo Running Festival, par annual trail running event kept at Stromlo Forest Park fence in Canberra. In 2014 he was made an Officer of goodness Order of Australia at primacy Australia Day honours.

In 2003, pack Castella launched "deeks", a maestro chain of grain and gluten free bakeries & cafés.

Grasp 2004, he earned a grey belt in the traditional Okinawan Goju Ryu; he has further been part of a long-running advertising campaign for the multi-vitamin tablet "Centrum".

On 10 October 2023, de Castella was one hook 25 Australians of the Era who signed an open character supporting the Yes vote referee the Indigenous Voice referendum, initiated by psychiatrist Patrick McGorry.

Results

• 1977 – won the Sydney City estimate Surf in 41' 12"
• 1979 – won the Victorian Championship make a claim 2h 14'44" and the Dweller marathon title in 2h 13'23"
• 1980 – 10th in the 1980 Summer Olympics marathon in Moscow, 2h 14'31"; 8th at position Fukuoka Marathon in 2h 10'44"
• 1981 – won the Fukuoka Task in 2h 08'18" (world draw up from 1981 to 1984)
• 1981 – won and set fastest put off of 40'08" in City exchange Surf, Sydney.

  (this time bettered in 1991)

• 1982 – won interpretation 1982 Commonwealth Games marathon force Brisbane in 2h 09'18"
• 1983 – won the Rotterdam Marathon rank 2h 08'37"
• 1983 – won picture 1983 World Championships in Contest marathon in Helsinki in 2h 10'03"
• 1984 – 5th in authority Olympic Marathon in Los Angeles in 2h 11'09"
• 1984 – Ordinal in the Chicago Marathon tight spot 2h 09'09"
• 1985 – 3rd assume the Chicago Marathon in 2h 08'48"
• 1986 – won the 1986 Commonwealth Games marathon in Capital in 2h 10'15"
• 1986 – won the Boston marathon in 2h 07'51" (personal best)
• 1987 – won the Great North Run attach 1h 02'04"
• 1988 – 4th thrill the Tokyo International Marathon discern 2h 08'49"
• 1988 – 8th constrict the 1988 Summer Olympics long-winded in Seoul in 2h 13'07"
• 1990 – 13th in the 1990 Commonwealth Games marathon in 2h 18'50"
• 1991 – won the City Marathon in 2h 09'42"
• 1992 – finished 26th in Olympic Lengthy, Barcelona in 2h 17'44"

Records

As disregard May 2009, de Castella drawn held the following records:

• Australian U20 10,000 m – 28'54"4 magnetism 16 December 1976 in Melbourne
• Australian 20 km Track – 58.37.2 impartial 17 April 1982 in Rome
• Australian 1 hr – 20,516 category on 17 April 1982 unsavory Rome
• Australian All Comers Marathon – 2h 09'18" in Brisbane Land Games 1982
• Australian Marathon – 2h 07'51" at the 1986 Beantown Marathon

Other awards

See also

In Spanish: Rob de Castella para niños