 Vanderlei at the Independence Day parade in 2004. | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima |
| Born | 4 July 1969[1] Cruzeiro do Oeste, Paraná, Brazil |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Marathon |
Medal record | |
Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima (born 4 July 1969) is a Brazilian retired long-distance runner. He was born in Cruzeiro do Oeste, Paraná. While leading the marathon after 35 km (22 mi) at the 2004 Summer Olympics, he was attacked on the course by Irish former priest Cornelius "Neil" Horan. Following the incident, Lima fell from first to third place, eventually winning the bronze medal. He was later awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Medal for his sportsmanship shown in that race.
Lima won the Tokyo International Marathon in 1996 and the Hamburg Marathon in 2004. He won the South American Cross Country Championships in 1995, and the marathon at the Pan American Games consecutively in 1999 and 2003. He lit the Olympic cauldron and carried the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics.