Rosa Mota: Husband, Career & Net Worth
Success is never an accident but is a result of many sleepless nights, perseverance, and determination. Rosa Mota is a woman who followed the same difficult path to success.
Who is Rosa Mota, you may ask? Rosa Mota is a former Portuguese marathon runner who became the first woman to win gold at the Olympics for her country.
She was one of the first female athletes in her country and had to break many gender norms and stereotypes.
In her home country, she was heavily discouraged at the beginning of her career since the marathon was a feat few women had conquered.
But Rosa trained day and night to prove all of them wrong.
In this article, you will find everything you need to know about Rosa Mota.
Quick Facts
Here are some quick facts just in case you did not know about the courageous Rosa Mota:
| Full name | Rosa Maria Correia dos Santos Mota |
| Date of birth | 29th of June in 1958 |
| Age | 65 Years Old |
| Birthplace | Foz Velha, Porto of Portugal |
| Religion | Christian |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Ethnicity | Caucasian |
| Education | Not Available |
| Father’s name | Not Available |
| Mother’s name | Not Available |
| Zodiac sign | Cancer |
| Height | 5 feet and 2 inches |
| Weight | 99 lbs |
| Spouse | Jose Pedrosa |
| Children | Not Available |
| Body Measurement | Not Available |
| Hair color | Black |
| Eye color | Black |
| Net Worth | $5 million |
| Siblings | Not Available |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Profession | Marathon Runner |
| Current status | Retired |
| Nickname | Rosa |
| Salary | Not Available |
| Social Media | Not Available |
| Debut year | 1980 AD |
| Marathon Merch | Cup, Travel Mug, Half Marathon Training Journal |
| Last Update | April 2024 |
Rosa Mota: Early Life
Rosa was born on the 29th of June in 1958. She was born and raised in Foz Vella, a neighborhood of Porto in Portugal.
Her father’s name and her mother’s name have not been revealed. Neither has any information on their profession or whereabouts ever been told.
Moreover, not much has been specified about her childhood also.
Rosa Mota had sciatica growing up, a pain escalating from the lower back towards the leg. She also had asthma.
Because of her health problems, people estimated that running or any sports would be next to impossible for her. But Rosa Mota overcame all that.
There is no information about Rosa Mota’s high school education. But she graduated from high school, but she did not, however, attend college.
Rosa started running when she was a kid in the streets of Foz because she was scared of the dark.
During her high school days, Rosa started participating in cross country races.
She was also involved in swimming and cycling, but she chose running because of how inexpensive its accessibility was.
That is where her dream started, and right after graduation, she began her career.
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Rosa Mota: Physical Appearance
Regarding height, Rosa is five feet and two inches tall. She weighs around 99 lbs.
She has a very petite body shape. Unfortunately, her exact body measurements are not available.
She has black eyes and similar black hair. However, her most distinct feature might be her short hair which has gradually become grey with the years.
She has a very sharp face and fair skin complexion. Because of her athletic lifestyle, she has maintained her healthy body.
Moreover, her shoe size is 37 European size.
Rosa Mota: Personal Life
Rosa Mota is a Portuguese citizen. She is caucasian, and her religion has not yet been revealed.
Being born in June, Rosa is Cancer in the zodiac chart. Cancer is a water sign, and they are known to be very practical.
Cancer people have traits such as being humble, intuitive, progressive, ambitious, and hardworking.
Rosa is the perfect example of Cancer regarding their worker-bee side since she puts all her effort into anything she is passionate about.
Husband
Rosa Mota has been married for over four decades. She is married to Jose Pedrosa.
Jose Pedrosa has been the number one cheerleader in Mota’s career since the beginning. He is a doctor and marathoner by profession.
The couple met in 1978 while training in the same club in Oporto. Later he started working as her doctor while she was battling asthma.
He would become her guru and coach for decades to come. During their time together, they slowly fell in love.
The couple tied the knot in 1980 and have remained together ever since.
From what it seems, the couple is happily married. There have been no rumors of an affair or cheating.
The couple, however, does not have any children. Instead, Rosa wanted to focus on her career during her prime years, which remained her main focus.
Jose supported the decision and continued with his career alongside. Despite having no children, the couple never had any conflict over the matter.
Jose always saw the potential in Rosa and not once questioned her abilities. Conventional thinking was never a part of their life.
Rosa considers Jose her biggest blessing, and she calls him ‘Ze’ with love.
Rosa Mota: Professional Career
Mota started her career with great hopes and made a record in national 300 and 1500 meters races.
After which, she was part of Futebol Clube da Foz for three years and FC Porto for the next two years. She left FC Porto in 1980 after an injury.
At the beginning of the 1980s, she started getting more interested in running longer races such as the marathons.
The first marathon of her life was the European Championships in 1982, where she went on to bring gold.
Then she ran the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, the first Olympics marathon for women, landing the bronze medal.
After which, Rosa was on a streak and won the Boston Marathon for three consecutive years. She was quickly named the Female Runner of the Year by Runner’s World.
Rosa won the European Championship in 1986 and World Championship in Rome in 1987.
Then came along one of her most outstanding achievements at the 1988 Olympics held in Seoul, where she brought home gold.
One of her biggest fears of childhood came back in 1992 when she competed in the London Marathon was asthma.
She had to abandon the Tokyo World Championship in 1991 due to asthma.
Besides her Olympics achievement, Mota won the European Championship in 2006 and the Lisbon Marathon in the same year. After this, she decided to retire.
In recent years, Rosa has been known for being one of the most prominent figures in Portugal.
She even had the opportunity to carry the Olympic flame in the 2004 summer Olympics held in Greece.
Rosa has won 14 marathon races out of the 21 races throughout her career.
The ex-atleta Portuguesa is often compared to the legendary distance runner Brendan Foster.
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Rosa Mota: Controversy
During her career, Rosa’s name was involved in a few controversies. One of the controversies occurred when she was in Seoul for the Olympics.
She faced exclusion from the Portuguese team official because of her conflicting schedule.
The Portugal Athletics Federation provided heat towards Rosa Mota, the reigning champion of the Boston Marathon.
As Rosa was part of the Federation, she was supposed to run in several international races.
The Federation gave one such opportunity to her at the Monte Carlo race, but she denied the request because of her hurting Achilles tendon. The Federation took it as an offense.
One of the federation officials, Carlos Gaspar Santos, said that she was obliged to run those races for the country and an athlete does not have an option on what to choose.
Rosa received a lot of heat for her decision. There was also a lot of misogyny directed towards her because she was unmarried when she started her career.
Critics also questioned her relationship with her coach Jose many times.
The times were different since females were usually bound to household work. The people discriminated against Rosa because she took the man domains of sport.
The President of Portugal came to support Rosa, saying that he would personally intervene with the Federation if the matter continued.
He made it clear that Rosa would be part of the Olympics in Seoul that year, where she eventually went on to win gold.
Rosa Mota: Net Worth
By being one of the top sportswomen, Rosa has earned fame and wealth.
In addition, she has run the campaign for many brands and endorsed sports brands.
Rosa Mota has a net worth of 5 million us dollars.
As she is retired, there is no exact figure for how much she earns.
But it is clear that with her earnings, she is capable of living a very comfortable life.
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Rosa Mota: Social Media
Rosa is not active on any social media platform.
It seems that Rosa will not be joining the social media race soon.
Rosa Mota: FAQs
How many Olympic medals does Rosa Mota have?
Rosa Maria Correia dos Santos Mota has 2 Olmpic medals to her name.
Likewise, Rosa won a Bronze Olympic Medal in 1984 and a Gold Olympic Medal in 1988.
Is Rosa Mota alive?
Yes, Rosa Mota is alive and well.
Who is Rosa Mota?
Rosa Mota is an ex-atleta Portuguesa which translates to an ex Portuguese athlete.
Mota is a former marathon runner; she was the first person from Portugal to win gold in Olympics.
