Editing Maria Mutola

{{short description|Mozambican middle-distance runner}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Maria Mutola
| nickname = Maputo Express,<ref name="bbcnews2000" /> Lurdinha
| image = Maria Mutola Valence 2008 cropped.jpg
| caption = Mutola in 2008 at the World Indoor Championships in Valencia
| nationality = [[Mozambique|Mozambican]]
| sport = Track and field
| event = [[800 metres]], [[1500 metres]]
| pb ='''400 m''': 51.37 (1994)<br />'''800 m''': 1:55.19 (1994)<br />'''1500 m''': 4:01.50 (2002)
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1972|10|27}}
| birth_place = [[Maputo|Lourenço Marques]], [[Portuguese Mozambique|Mozambique]]
| height = {{Height|m=1.65|}}
| weight = {{Convert|63|kg|lb}}
| show-medals = no
| medaltemplates = 
{{Medal|Sport | Women's [[Sport of athletics|athletics]] }}
{{Medal|Country | {{MOZ}} }}
{{MedalCount
| [[Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] | 1|0|1
| [[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]] | 3|1|1
| [[IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics|World Indoor Championships]] | 7|1|1
| [[African Championships in Athletics|African Championships]] | 5|3|0
| [[Commonwealth Games]] | 2|0|1
| [[All-Africa Games]] | 3|0|0
| '''Total'''|'''21'''|'''5'''|'''4'''
}}
{{MedalCount
| [[800 m]] | 20|5|4
| [[1500 m]] | 1|0|0
}}
 {{Medal|Competition | [[Olympic Games]] }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney]] | [[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's 800 metres|800 m]] }}
 {{Medal|Bronze | [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]] | [[Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's 800 metres|800 m]] }}
 {{Medal|Competition | [[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]] }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[1993 World Championships in Athletics|1993 Stuttgart]] | [[1993 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres|800 m]] }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[2001 World Championships in Athletics|2001 Edmonton]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[2003 World Championships in Athletics|2003 Paris]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Silver | [[1999 World Championships in Athletics|1999 Seville]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Bronze | [[1997 World Championships in Athletics|1997 Athens]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Competition | [[IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics|World Indoor Championships]] }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships|1993 Toronto]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships|1995 Barcelona]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships|1997 Paris]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2001 Lisbon]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2003 Birmingham]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2004 Budapest]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2006 Moscow]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Silver | [[1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships|1999 Maebashi]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Bronze | [[2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2008 Valencia]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Comp | [[Athletics at the Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]] }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[1998 Commonwealth Games|1998 Kuala Lumpur]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[2002 Commonwealth Games|2002 Manchester]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Bronze | [[2006 Commonwealth Games|2006 Melbourne]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Comp | [[Athletics at the All-Africa Games|All-Africa Games]] }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[1991 All-Africa Games|1991 Cairo]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[1995 All-Africa Games|1995 Harare]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[1999 All-Africa Games|1999 Johannesburg]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Comp | [[African Championships in Athletics|African Championships]] }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[1990 African Championships in Athletics|1990 Cairo]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[1990 African Championships in Athletics|1990 Cairo]] | 1500 m }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[1993 African Championships in Athletics|1993 Durban]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[1998 African Championships in Athletics|1998 Dakar]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Gold | [[2002 African Championships in Athletics|2002 Tunis]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Silver | [[1988 African Championships in Athletics|1988 Annaba]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Silver | [[2006 African Championships in Athletics|2006 Bambous]] | 800 m }}
 {{Medal|Silver | [[2008 African Championships in Athletics|2008 Addis Ababa]] | 800 m }}
{{Medal|Country | [[File:Africa (orthographic projection).svg|20px]] [[Confederation of African Athletics|Africa]] }}
{{Medal|Competition | [[IAAF Continental Cup|World Cup]] }}
{{Medal|Gold | [[1992 IAAF World Cup|1992 Havana]] | 800 m }}
{{Medal|Gold | [[1994 IAAF World Cup|1994 London]] | 800 m }}
{{Medal|Gold | [[1998 IAAF World Cup|1998 Johannesburg]] | 800 m }}
{{Medal|Gold | [[2002 IAAF World Cup|2002 Madrid]] | 800 m }}
}}

'''Maria de Lurdes Mutola''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ə|ˈ|r|iː|ə|_|m|uː|ˈ|t|oʊ|l|ə}} {{respell|mə|REE|ə|_|moo|TOH|lə}}; born 27 October 1972) is a retired Mozambican female [[track and field]] who specialised in the [[800 metres]] running event. She is only the fourth female track and field athlete to compete at [[List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games|six Olympic Games]]. She is a three-time world champion in this event and a one-time Olympic champion.

Although Mutola never broke the world record in her favourite event, she is regarded by many track insiders and fans as one of the greatest 800 metres female runners of all time due to her consistently good results in major championships and her exceptional longevity which saw her compete at the highest level for two decades before retiring from athletics in 2008 at the age of 35. She is also the only athlete ever to have won Olympic, World, World indoor, Commonwealth Games, Continental Games and Continental Championships titles in the same event.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}}  She is also the main coach and mentor of [[Caster Semenya]].

==Career==

===Early years===
Mutola was born in 1972 in the poor [[shanty town]] of Chamanculo on the outskirts of [[Maputo]], then known as Lourenço Marques, the capital of [[Portuguese Mozambique]].<ref name="bbcnews2000">{{cite news |last1=Tembo |first1=Jose |title=The Maputo express |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1011499.stm |access-date=12 September 2016 |publisher=BBC News |date=7 November 2000}}</ref> Her father was employed by the railways and her mother was a market vendor. As a young girl she excelled in [[association football|football]]. She played with boys, as there were no leagues or teams for girls. At only 14 years of age, she was encouraged to take up athletics by one of Mozambique's foremost literary figures, the poet [[José Craveirinha]], who was a keen sports fan.<ref>https://olympics.com/en/athletes/maria-mutola</ref> His son Stelio, himself a former national [[long jump]] record holder who had competed in the [[1980 Summer Olympics]], was Mutola's first coach. Not used to the intensive training, Mutola initially decided that running was not for her, but was persuaded to continue when it became obvious that she had immense potential.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

After a visit to Portugal, plans were made for her to join the Lisbon-based [[S.L. Benfica (athletics)|Benfica athletics club]], but at the last minute Mozambican government denied her permission. The next year, after several months' training, she won a silver medal in the [[800 metres]] in the [[1988 African Championships in Athletics|1988 African Championships]] in [[Annaba]], [[Algeria]] before competing in the [[1988 Summer Olympics]] less than a month later. She ran a personal best time of 2:04.36, but only finished seventh in her first round heat, failing to progress to the semi-finals. Mutola was still only fifteen years old.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sport-olympic.gr/sp/index.php/athletics/competitions/area-competitions/african-competitions-in-athletics/11-african-championships/6-1988-african-championships-in-athletics |title=1988 African Championships in Athletics – Sport-Olympic.com |first=Giannis |last=Lygkas |access-date=6 August 2016}}</ref>

===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.

===Athletic domination===
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=February 2019}}
Over the next few years, Mutola dominated the 800 m event, winning the 800 m title at the [[1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships|1993]] and [[1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships|1995 World Indoor Championships]] and the [[1993 World Championships in Athletics|1993 World Championships]]. At the latter event, held in [[Stuttgart]], she won by over two seconds, the biggest ever winning margin in an international women's 800 m final.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}} A favourite for the world outdoor title in 1995 as well, she was disqualified in her semi-final for stepping outside of her lane. Some consolation came at the [[Memorial Van Damme]] meeting in Brussels a few weeks after the World Championships, when she broke the world record for [[1000 metres|1000 m]] with a time of 2:29.34, becoming the first woman ever to run the distance in less than two and a half minutes. She also went on to break the world indoor record for 1000 m.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}  She also went undefeated (3-0) vs that years World Champion [[Ana Quirot]], including crushing Quirot at the season ending Grand Prix final where she finished 1st to Quirot's 5th.

Her immense success and her total domination of the event during this period can be attributed to the guidance that she has received since 1991 from [[Margo Jennings]]. Jennings was a track coach at Springfield High School and continued to coach Mutola, even when she had relocated from Oregon to [[Johannesburg]] to escape the high pollen count in Oregon. Jennings would fax Mutola's training schedules to her in South Africa, and has also coached other world class 800 m runners like [[Kelly Holmes]], Namibian athlete [[Agnes Samaria]] and [[Tina Paulino]], who is a distant relative of Mutola's.

At the [[1996 Summer Olympics]] in [[Atlanta]], Mutola was a hot favourite for the gold, as she hadn't been beaten in an 800 m final since 1992 and her winning streak stretched to over forty 800 m and 1000 m finals. However, suffering from flu, she ended up finishing third behind surprise winner [[Svetlana Masterkova]] and Ana Quirot. The Russians had also used team tactics with Masterkova's teammate and Britain's Kelly Holmes working to box in both Quirot and Mutola with Masterkova in front, leaving them too much ground to make up near the end. Later in 1996 Mutola lost her world 1000 m record to Masterkova in a hard-fought head-to-head duel.

Mutola was known as the complete package as an 800-metre runner. She had tremendous strength, and would turn in numerous impressive 1500 metres performances through her career. She had blazing speed, and a very strong finishing kick. She also was a smart and calculated tactical racer, who understood her competitors and their strengths and weaknesses well, and how to position herself throughout a race. She was comfortable running and winning races from either the front or the back. Most of all she had an unwavering determination to win, rarely ever matched in women's middle-distance running.

===Status in 800 m race history===
{{BLP sources section|date=February 2019}}
Mutola is often ranked as one of the greatest female 800&nbsp;m runners of all time, and to some even the best. She has not gained a world record in the event, but her consistency, her performances at major championships and her ability to compete at the highest levels of the sport for two decades are unmatched – the [[2008 Olympics]] were her sixth consecutive Olympics. She does however have a 0–4 record against her rival Ana Quirot in World and Olympic competition, and Quirot ran sub-1:55 twice vs. Mutola's career best of 1:55.16.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.alltime-athletics.com/w_800ok.htm|title = Women's 800m}}</ref>  In terms of global championship gold medals however, Mutola bests Quirot in Olympic titles (1–0), outdoor World titles (3-2) and indoor World titles (7-0).   Mutola and Quirot are good friends to this day and often write one another, and Mutola often wrote Quirot letters of encouragement to return to Track and Field following her near fatal heavy burn explosion.

Mutola won [[Bronze medal|bronze]] in the 1997 [[IAAF World Championships in Athletics]] and silver in 1999. She also won the [[IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics]] in 1997, only weeks after her father had been killed in a car accident. She raced wearing a black ribbon and dedicated the victory to his memory. In total she has won nine world 800&nbsp;m titles, including both indoor and outdoor championships. She won the [[Commonwealth Games]] twice, after Mozambique was admitted to the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] in 1995, and has also won the [[IAAF World Cup]] event, representing the Africa team, four times consecutively.

Her greatest moment, though, came at the [[Sydney Olympics]] in 2000, when Mutola finally won Olympic gold. She beat her major rival [[Stephanie Graf]] and Kelly Holmes. She returned to Mozambique after her Olympic victory, huge crowds came to cheer her and a road was named after her in Maputo.

She continued her successes in the 2001 season, grabbing the world title in [[Edmonton]] and again in 2003 in Paris. It was widely felt that Mutola ran tactically during the 2003 race by setting a slow pace in order to aid her training partner Kelly Holmes. As a result of such a strategy Holmes was able to take silver. Mutola was unbeaten throughout 2003 and grabbed the headlines again that year, at the Memorial Van Damme race in Belgium. By winning here, it meant that she became sole winner of the [[2003 IAAF Golden League]] one million dollar jackpot, awarded to athletes who remained undefeated in all six competitions in the season. She put part of her winnings towards the foundation that she had established in her name in Mozambique.

Aiming to become the first woman to successfully defend the Olympic 800&nbsp;m title in 2004, her fifth Olympics, Mutola ended up finishing fourth. Despite carrying a hamstring injury, Mutola was in the gold medal position until the final few metres, when three athletes passed her, including the eventual champion, her former training partner Kelly Holmes. In 2005, her injuries were still lingering and she suffered several losses to opponents she would normally easily beat. Mutola finished fourth in the 800 m at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki; third-place winner [[Tatyana Andrianova]] was retroactively suspended for a doping violation in 2015. A later test invalidated Andrianova's results from 9 August 2005 through 8 August 2007. On April 14, 2016, the [[Court of Arbitration for Sport]] (CAS) overturned Andrianova's two-year doping suspension because her sample had been re-tested beyond the eight-year statute of limitations. "As the eight-year statute of limitations had expired prior to January 1, 2015, the 10-year statute of limitations provided under the new 2015 anti-doping rules cannot apply", CAS said in a statement.<ref name="doping">{{cite web |author=Last Updated: 14/04/16 5:15pm |url=http://www.skysports.com/more-sports/athletics/news/29175/10242831/russian-runner-tatyana-andrianova-wins-cas-doping-appeal |title=Russian runner Tatyana Andrianova wins CAS doping appeal &#124; Athletics News |publisher=Sky Sports |date=2015-01-01 |access-date=2016-08-06}}</ref>

Mutola parted amicably with her coach Margo Jennings, before returning to good form in 2006, when she won the World Indoor Championships title for a record seventh time. At the [[2007 IAAF World Championships]], Mutola was in contention for a medal entering into the home straight, but pulled out of the race in the dying metres.

In 2008, the 800 metres [[African records in athletics|African record]] held by Mutola, was beaten by the young [[Pamela Jelimo]] of Kenya.<ref name="berlin">IAAF, June 1, 2008: [http://www.iaaf.org/GLE08/news/newsid=45140.html Berlin witnesses Jelimo, 800m revelation]</ref> Mutola had decided that the [[2008 Olympic Games]] would be her last major championships, and she finished fifth in the [[Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's 800 metres|800 metres Olympic final]]. She publicly called an end to her 21-year-long athletics career at the [[Weltklasse Zürich]] meeting immediately after the Olympics. She finished fourth with a run of 1:58.71 in the 800&nbsp;m, again behind Jelimo, who completed a symbolic feat by beating Mutola's meet record which had stood since 1994.<ref name="iaaf2008">{{cite news |last1=Powell |first1=David |title=Mutola bids farewell in Zürich – ÅF Golden League |url=https://www.iaaf.org/news/news/mutola-bids-farewell-in-zurich-af-golden-le |access-date=12 September 2016 |work=IAAF.org |date=29 August 2008}}</ref>

Her appearance at the [[2008 Olympics]] made her only the fourth female [[Athletics at the Summer Olympics|track and field]] athlete to compete at six Olympics, after [[Lia Manoliu]] (discus), [[Tessa Sanderson]] (javelin/heptathlon), and seven-time Olympian  [[Merlene Ottey]] (sprints).

==Other work==
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=February 2019}}
She was appointed an honorary [[United Nations]] [[youth ambassador]] in 2003 at a ceremony in Maputo, in recognition of her outstanding athletic achievements. Other youth ambassadors are musician [[Baaba Maal]] and basketball star [[Dikembe Mutombo]]. She cited the importance of raising awareness of HIV/AIDS issues amongst young people in Africa and also highlighted the benefits that sport can bring to young people. Indeed, her Lurdes Mutola Foundation aims to bring more young Mozambicans to sport and to assist in helping them achieve their sporting and educational potential. Other initiatives that Mutola and her Foundation have been involved in include a Ministry of Health / [[UNICEF]] immunisation campaign against [[measles]] and [[polio]] and housing development initiatives in Maputo. Even before the establishment of the Foundation, she had played an active role in supporting sport in Maputo. She gave financial support that allowed an artificial track to be constructed on the sports ground at which she had originally trained as a fifteen-year-old. She also authorised the sale of T-shirts that featured her image, profits from which went towards helping the Grupo Desportivo de Maputo out of financial difficulty.

At the 2006 Winter Olympics she was one of the eight Olympic flag bearers at the [[2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony#Words and Symbols|Opening Ceremony]].

After retiring from athletics she returned to her first sporting love, football. She played for Mamelodi Sundowns team in the South African women's league.  In 2011, she was captain of the [[Mozambique women's national football team]] at the All-Africa Games in Maputo.

In 2012, she coached South African runner [[Caster Semenya]] to a silver medal at the Olympic Games in London.

==Achievements==

===International competitions===
{| {{AchievementTable|width=auto|Event=yes}}
|-
! colspan="6" | Representing {{MOZ}}
|-
| rowspan=2 | 1988
| [[1988 African Championships in Athletics|African Championships]]
| [[Annaba]], Algeria
| bgcolor=silver | 2nd
| 800 m
| 2:06.55
|-
| [[1988 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics]]
| [[Seoul]], South Korea
| 21st (h)
| 800 m
| [[Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's 800 metres|2:04.36]]
|-
| rowspan=2 | 1990
| rowspan=2 | [[1990 African Championships in Athletics|African Championships]]
| rowspan=2 | [[Cairo]], Egypt
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| 2:13.54
|-
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 1500 m
| 4:25.27
|-
| rowspan=2 | 1991
| [[1991 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
| Tokyo, Japan
| 4th
| 800 m
| [[1991 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres|1:57.63]]
|-
| [[1991 All-Africa Games|All-Africa Games]]
| [[Cairo]], Egypt
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| 2:04.02
|-
| rowspan=2 | 1992
| rowspan=2 | [[1992 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics]]
| rowspan=2 | [[Barcelona]], Spain
| 5th
| 800 m
| [[Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Women's 800 metres|1:57.49]]
|-
| 9th
| 1500 m
| [[Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Women's 1500 metres|4:02.60]]
|-
| rowspan=4 | 1993
| [[1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
| [[Toronto]], Canada
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| [[1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 800 metres|1:57.55]]
|-
| [[1993 African Championships in Athletics|African Championships]]
| [[Durban]], South Africa
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| 1:56.36 ('''[[List of African Championships in Athletics records|CR]]''')
|-
| [[1993 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
| [[Stuttgart]], Germany
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| [[1993 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres|1:55.43]]
|-
| [[1993 IAAF Grand Prix Final|IAAF Grand Prix Final]]
| London, United Kingdom
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| 1:57.35
|-
| rowspan=4 | 1995
| [[1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
| [[Barcelona]], Spain
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| [[1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 800 metres|1:57.62]]
|-
| [[1995 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
| [[Gothenburg]], Sweden
| — (sf)
| 800 m
| [[1995 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres|DQ]]
|-
| [[1995 All-Africa Games|All-Africa Games]]
| [[Harare]], Zimbabwe
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| 1:56.99
|-
| [[1995 IAAF Grand Prix Final|IAAF Grand Prix Final]]
| [[Fontvieille, Monaco|Fontvieille]], Monaco
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| 1:55.72
|-
| 1996
| [[1996 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics]]
| [[Atlanta]], United States
| bgcolor="cc9966" | 3rd
| 800 m
| [[Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's 800 metres|1:58.71]]
|-
| rowspan=3 | 1997
| [[1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
| Paris, France
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| [[1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 800 metres|1:58.96]]
|-
| [[1997 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
| [[Athens]], Greece
| bgcolor="cc9966" | 3rd
| 800 m
| [[1997 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres|1:57.59]]
|-
| [[1997 IAAF Grand Prix Final|IAAF Grand Prix Final]]
| [[Fukuoka City]], Japan
| bgcolor=silver | 2nd
| 800 m
| 1:56.93
|-
| rowspan=2 | 1998
| [[1998 African Championships in Athletics|African Championships]]
| [[Dakar]], Senegal
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| 1:57.95
|-
| [[1998 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]
| [[Kuala Lumpur]], Malaysia
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| [[Athletics at the 1998 Commonwealth Games – Women's 800 metres|1:57.60]]
|-
| rowspan=4 | 1999
| [[1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
| [[Maebashi]], Japan
| bgcolor=silver | 2nd
| 800 m
| [[1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 800 metres|1:57.17]]
|-
| [[1999 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
| [[Seville]], Spain
| bgcolor=silver | 2nd
| 800 m
| [[1999 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres|1:56.72]]
|-
| [[1999 All-Africa Games|All-Africa Games]]
| [[Johannesburg]], South Africa
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| 1:59.73
|-
| [[1999 IAAF Grand Prix Final|IAAF Grand Prix Final]]
| [[Munich]], Germany
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| 1:59.10
|-
| 2000
| [[2000 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics]]
| [[Sydney]], Australia
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| [[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's 800 metres|1:56.15]]
|-
| rowspan=3 | 2001
| [[2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
| [[Lisbon]], Portugal
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| [[2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 800 metres|1:59.74]]
|-
| [[2001 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
| [[Edmonton]], Canada
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| [[2001 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres|1:57.17]]
|-
| [[2001 IAAF Grand Prix Final|IAAF Grand Prix Final]]
| [[Melbourne]], Australia
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| 1:59.78
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2002
| [[2002 African Championships in Athletics|African Championships]]
| [[Radès]], Tunisia
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| [[2002 African Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres|2:03.11]]
|-
| [[2002 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]
| [[Manchester]], United Kingdom
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| [[Athletics at the 2002 Commonwealth Games – Women's 800 metres|1:57.35]]
|-
| rowspan=3 | 2003
| [[2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
| [[Birmingham]], United Kingdom
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| [[2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 800 metres|1:58.94]]
|-
| [[2003 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
| Paris, France
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| [[2003 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres|1:59.89]]
|-
| [[2003 IAAF World Athletics Final|IAAF World Athletics Final]]
| [[Fontvieille, Monaco|Fontvieille]], Monaco
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| 1:59.59
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2004
| [[2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
| [[Budapest]], Hungary
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| [[2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 800 metres|1:58.50]]
|-
| [[2004 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics]]
| [[Athens]], Greece
| 4th
| 800 m
| [[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's 800 metres|1:56.51]]
|-
| 2005
| [[2005 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
| [[Helsinki]], Finland
| 4th
| 800 m
| [[2005 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres|1:59.71]]
|-
| rowspan=3 | 2006
| [[2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
| Moscow, Russia
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| [[2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 800 metres|1:58.90]]
|-
| [[2006 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]
| [[Melbourne]], Australia
| bgcolor="cc9966" | 3rd
| 800 m
| [[Athletics at the 2006 Commonwealth Games – Women's 800 metres|1:58.77]]
|-
| [[2006 African Championships in Athletics|African Championships]]
| [[Bambous, Mauritius|Bambous]], Mauritius
| bgcolor=silver | 2nd
| 800 m
| [[2006 African Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres|2:01.08]]
|-
| 2007
| [[2007 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
| [[Osaka]], Tokyo
| — (f)
| 800 m
| [[2007 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres|DNF]]
|-
| rowspan=3 | 2008
| [[2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
| [[Valencia]], Spain
| bgcolor="cc9966" | 3rd
| 800 m
| [[2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 800 metres|2:02.97]]
|-
| [[2008 African Championships in Athletics|African Championships]]
| [[Addis Ababa]], Ethiopia
| bgcolor=silver | 2nd
| 800 m
| [[2008 African Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres|2:00.47]]
|-
| [[2008 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics]]
| [[Beijing]], China
| 5th
| 800 m
| [[Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's 800 metres|1:57.68]]
|-
! colspan="6" | Representing [[File:Africa (orthographic projection).svg|20px]] [[Confederation of African Athletics|Africa]]
|-
| 1992
| [[1992 IAAF World Cup|IAAF World Cup]]
| [[Havana]], Cuba
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| [[1992 IAAF World Cup results|2:00.47]]
|-
| 1994
| [[1994 IAAF World Cup|IAAF World Cup]]
| London, United Kingdom
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| [[1994 IAAF World Cup results|1:58.27]]
|-
| 1998
| [[1998 IAAF World Cup|IAAF World Cup]]
| [[Johannesburg]], South Africa
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| [[1998 IAAF World Cup results|1:59.88]]
|-
| 2002
| [[2002 IAAF World Cup|IAAF World Cup]]
| [[Madrid]], Spain
| bgcolor=gold | 1st
| 800 m
| [[2002 IAAF World Cup results|1:58.60]]
|}

===Personal bests===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
! scope="col" width=60 | Type
! scope="col" width=60 | Event
! scope="col" width=60 | Mark
! scope="col" width=120 | Date
! scope="col" width=180 | Location
|-
| rowspan=10|Outdoor
| 200 m || align=right | 23.86 || align=right | 20 July 1994 || [[Langenthal]], Switzerland
|-
| 400 m || align=right | 51.37 || align=right | 2 August 1994 || [[Monaco]]
|-
| 600 m || align=right | 1:22.87 || align=right | 27 August 2002 || [[Liège]], Belgium
|-
| 800 m || align=right | 1:55.19 || align=right | 17 August 1994 || [[Zürich]], Switzerland
|-
| 1000 m || align=right | 2:29.34 || align=right | 25 August 1995 || [[Brussels]], Belgium
|-
| 1500 m || align=right | 4:01.50 || align=right | 12 July 2002 || Rome, Italy
|-
| [[One mile]]  || align=right | 4:36.09   || align=right | 21 June 1991 || [[Eugene, Oregon|Eugene]], United States
|-
| 2000 m || align=right | 6:03.84   || align=right | 1 January 1992 ||
|-
| 3000 m || align=right | 9:27.37   || align="right" | 8 June 1991 || [[Springfield, Oregon|Springfield]], United States
|-
| 5000 m || align=right | 18:15.10  || align=right | 18 July 1990 ||
|-
| rowspan=4 | Indoor
| 600 m || align=right | 1:25.79 || align=right | 7 March 1999 || [[Maebashi]], Japan
|-
| 800 m || align=right | 1:57.06 || align=right | 21 February 1999 || [[Liévin]], France
|-
| 1000 m || align=right | 2:30.94 || align=right | 25 February 1999 || [[Stockholm]], Sweden
|-
| 1500 m || align=right | 4:17.93 || align=right | 1 February 1992 || [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], United States
|}

===800 m honours===
* Olympic Games: 1988 first round; 1992 5th and 9th 1500 m; 1996 3rd; 2000 1st; 2004 4th; 2008 5th
* World Championships: [[1991 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres|1991]] 4th; 1993 1st; 1995 disqualified semi final; 1997 3rd; 1999 2nd; 2001 1st; 2003 1st, 2005 4th, 2007 Did not Finish Final
* World Indoor Championships: 1993 1st; 1995 1st; 1997 1st; 1999 2nd; 2001 1st; 2003 1st; 2004 1st; 2006 1st; 2007 3rd
* World Cup: 1992 1st and 3rd 4 × 400 m Relay; 1994 1st; 1998 1st; 2002 1st and 4th 4 × 400 m Relay
* All-Africa Games: 1991 1st; 1995 1st; 1999 1st
* African Championships: 1988 2nd; 1990 1st and 1st 1500 m; 1993 1st; 1998 1st; 2002 1st; 2006 2nd; 2008 2nd
* Commonwealth Games: 1998 1st; 2002 1st; 2006 3rd

===Awards===
* [[Track & Field News Athlete of the Year|''Track & Field News'' Athlete of the Year]]: 2003

==See also==
* [[List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{sports links}}
* {{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/mu/maria-mutola-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417174159/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/mu/maria-mutola-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-04-17}}

{{Navboxes
| title = Awards and achievements
| bg = gold
| fg = navy
| bordercolor = black
| list1 = 
{{s-start}}
{{s-sports|oly}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Daniel Firmino]]}}
{{s-ttl|title = [[List of flag bearers for Mozambique at the Olympics|Flagbearer]] for {{MOZ}}|years = [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]]}}
{{s-aft|after = [[Jorge Duvane]]}}
{{s-ach|aw}}
{{succession box
| title = [[Track & Field Athlete of the Year|Women's ''Track & Field'' Athlete of the Year]]
| before = {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Paula Radcliffe]]
| after = {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Yelena Isinbayeva]]
| years = 2003
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Footer_Olympic_Champions_800_m_Women}}
{{Footer World Champions 800 m Women}}
{{Footer World Indoor Champions 800m Women}}
{{Footer IAAF World Cup Champions 800m Women}}
{{Footer African Champions women's 800 metres}}
{{Footer African Champions women's 1500 metres}}
{{Footer All-Africa Champions 800 m Women}}
{{Footer US NC Indoor 800m Women}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 800m Women}}
{{Footer WBYP 800m Women}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutola, Maria De Lurdes}}
[[Category:1972 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Maputo]]
[[Category:Mozambican female middle-distance runners]]
[[Category:World record setters in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1998 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Mozambique]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Mozambique]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Mozambique]]
[[Category:20th-century Mozambican women]]
[[Category:21st-century Mozambican women]]
[[Category:21st-century Mozambican people]]
[[Category:20th-century Mozambican people]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Mozambique]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Mozambique]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Mozambican women's footballers]]
[[Category:Mozambique women's international footballers]]
[[Category:Women's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics]]
[[Category:African Games gold medalists for Mozambique]]
[[Category:African Games medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:World Athletics indoor record holders]]
[[Category:Goodwill Games medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:IAAF Golden League winners]]
[[Category:Track & Field News Athlete of the Year winners]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1991 All-Africa Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1995 All-Africa Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1999 All-Africa Games]]
[[Category:World Athletics Indoor Championships winners]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1998 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 2001 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:Goodwill Games gold medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1998 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies F.C. players]]
[[Category:Mozambican expatriate women's footballers]]
[[Category:Mozambican expatriate sportspeople in South Africa]]
[[Category:Expatriate women's soccer players in South Africa]]