João Almeida and Nelson Oliveira will compete in road cycling at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Portuguese Cycling Federation (FPC) announced on Tuesday, also confirming that Maria Martins everything, on the side of the road, and Raquel Queiros in straight Olympic (XCO) mountain bike.
Movistar’s Nelson Oliveira will be the first Portuguese runner to compete in three Olympic Games at the age of 32 after competing in long distance and time trial events in London 2012 and Rio 2016, with the best result in seventh place in individual exercises in Brazil.
João Almeida, 22, from Deseuninque, makes his Games debut after finishing sixth in the 2021 Volta a Italia, which he already finished fourth last year.
Joao Almeida and Nelson Oliveira will compete in two road cycling events: the long distance race on the first day of the Tokyo 2020 Games on 24 July and the time trial on the 28th.
“We will work to be able to participate in the discussion of time trial and long distance test. The tracks suit our riders, but it is not yet known what kind of rivals we will have and in what conditions they will appear. We strive for at least an Olympic diploma, knowing that in time trial this is a real goal for Nelson and Juan, given that the track is very difficult and we give preference to Portuguese time trial athletes with roller performance. ” said the coach. road cycling, Jose Poeira, cited by FPC.
Maria Martins and Raquel Queiros, both 21, will also compete in the Olympic competition, making it the first Portuguese player in track cycling. everything, and in the women’s MTB debut in the XCO race.
The Raquel Queiros competition is scheduled for July 27, and the athletics competition will conclude Portugal’s participation in Tokyo2020 on the last day of the competition, August 8.
The Portuguese track cycling coach set a goal to get into the “first two-thirds of the table” for “Tata” Martins, who won Portugal’s first medals at the European and World Championships in his specialty, with bronze medals in to scratch in the 2019 continental competition and the 2020 world competition.
“This will be the highest quality competition we have ever competed in, as the world’s 21 best will be on the right track. We prepare in detail, knowing that the work process is important to us in order to count on good participation. Looking at the quality of the opponents, I think that getting into the first two thirds of the table is a good result, ”emphasized Gabriel Mendes, coach of the national athletics team.
MTB coach Pedro Vigario hoped that the presence of Raquel Queiros would be a “boost” for the Portuguese participants. “Raquel is a very young runner. We are dedicated to preparing well for worthy participation. It will be a historic moment since this is the debut, but it will also be part of the road to the 2024 Games. We want him to also become an incentive for the entire Portuguese XCO community, first of all thinking about Paris 2024, ”the coach concluded.