2004 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics

XI Ibero-American Championships
Dates6 – 8 August
Host cityHuelva, Spain
VenueEstadio Iberoamericano
Events44
Participation443 athletes from
27 nations
Records set16 Championship records
The host stadium in Huelva

The 2004 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics (Spanish: XI Campeonato Iberoamericano de Atletismo) was the eleventh edition of the international athletics competition between Ibero-American nations which was held at the Estadio Iberoamericano in Huelva, Spain on 6–8 August 2004.[1] A record high of 27 nations took part while the number of participating athletes (430) was the second highest in the competition's history after the 1992 edition.[2] The programme featured 44 track and field events, 22 each for men and women, and 16 championship records were broken or equalled at the three-day competition.[3]

The host stadium was built specifically for the championships and it was the first major event to be held there. An opening ceremony was held outside the stadium at La Rábida (the monastery where Christopher Columbus stayed and successfully proposed his voyage to the Indies, which led to the Discovery of the Americas). High participation was attributed to the competition's proximity to the 2004 Summer Olympics, which was held in Athens two weeks later.[4] The legacy of the championships is found in the Meeting Iberoamericano de Atletismo, an annual track and field meeting which is held at the same stadium.[5]

The host nation, Spain, topped the medal table with 16 gold medals and 38 medals overall. Cuba (typically strong at the meeting) came second with fourteen gold medals and 22 medals overall. Brazil came third, producing six event winners, but had the second highest medal haul with a total of 23 medallists.[6] Spain sent the largest delegation, entering 90 athletes, while Brazil (63), Portugal (51) and Cuba (33) were the next most numerous teams.[7]

A number of medallists went on to have Olympic success. Joan Lino Martínez, winner in the men's long jump, took an Olympic bronze medal. Cuba's female throwers performed well in Athens: Yumileidi Cumbá and Osleidys Menéndez were crowned Olympic champions, while Yipsi Moreno and Yunaika Crawford both reached the podium in the hammer throw.[8] Fernanda Ribeiro, a 1996 Olympic champion, won the women's 5000 metres in Huelva, but retired in the Olympic final due to injuries.[9][10]

  1. ^ Campeonato Iberamericano[usurped]. CONSUDATLE. Retrieved on 2011-11-19.
  2. ^ El Atletismo Ibero-Americano - San Fernando 2010 Archived 2011-11-23 at the Wayback Machine (p. 213). RFEA. Retrieved on 2011-11-19.
  3. ^ Ibero American Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-11-19.
  4. ^ El Atletismo Ibero-Americano - San Fernando 2010 Archived 2011-11-23 at the Wayback Machine (p. 181–192). RFEA. Retrieved on 2011-11-19.
  5. ^ Meeting Iberoamericano de Atletismo. RFEA. Retrieved on 2011-11-19.
  6. ^ Valiente, Emeterio (2004-08-09). Menendez throws 66.90m - Spain and Cuba dominant at Ibero-American Championships. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-11-19.
  7. ^ Moreno takes easy win at IberoAmerican Championships with 71.06. IAAF (2004-08-07). Retrieved on 2011-11-19.
  8. ^ Athletics at the 2004 Athina Summer Games. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2011-11-19.
  9. ^ Ribeiro takes comfortable win in IberoAmerican Championships. IAAF (2004-08-08). Retrieved on 2011-11-19.
  10. ^ 2004 Olympics - 10,000 Metres - W Final Archived 2008-07-04 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF (2004-08-27). Retrieved on 2011-11-19.