Editing Maria Mutola (section)

===Studying and training in the United States===
Over the next few years Mutola failed to improve on her best time, but still won gold at the [[African Championships in Athletics|African Championships]] in [[Cairo]] in 1990.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sport-olympic.gr/sp/index.php/athletics/competitions/area-competitions/african-competitions-in-athletics/11-african-championships/8-1990-african-championships-in-athletics |title=1990 African Championships in Athletics – Sport-Olympic.com |first=Giannis |last=Lygkas |access-date=6 August 2016}}</ref> She faced little opposition in Mozambique and only trained properly in the run-up to big competitions. Attempts were made to organise scholarships for her to train abroad, but it was not until 1991 that, thanks to an [[International Olympic Committee|IOC]] solidarity programme, she was awarded a scholarship to go to the United States to study and train. [[Springfield High School (Oregon)|Springfield High School]] in [[Oregon]] was her host school, due to the fact that there was a Portuguese-speaking staff member (since Mutola spoke no English).

She quickly surprised many by finishing fourth in the final of the [[1991 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres|1991 World Championships]] in Tokyo, where her time of 1:57.63 constituted a [[List of world junior records in athletics|world junior record]]. Mutola lost out on a medal because she was severely impeded, elbowed twice by [[Ella Kovacs]] as she tried to pass in the final few metres. On the finish line, Kovacs fell across the line ahead of Mutola, reaching out and tripping race winner [[Lilia Nurutdinova]] as well. A protest was lodged but it was unsuccessful. At the [[1992 Summer Olympics]] in [[Barcelona]] there were great hopes for Mutola to win Mozambique's first Olympic medal. She ran strongly but faded badly in the home straight, eventually finishing fifth behind winner [[Ellen van Langen]]. At the same Olympics, Mutola ran one of the few [[1500 metres|1500 m]] races at an international championship, placing ninth in the final. That same year she also won the 800 m event at the [[1992 IAAF World Cup]] in [[Havana]], and was the only woman to beat Ellen van Langen throughout the whole year.