Simone Alves da Silva

Simone Alves da Silva
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Brazil
South American Championships
Gold medal – first place 2011 Buenos Aires 10,000 m

Simone Alves da Silva (born 12 September 1984) is a Brazilian long-distance runner. She won the 2011 South American title over 10,000 metres and broke South American records for the 5000 m and 10,000 m events in 2011, but was banned from competition for a doping offence that year.

Born in Morro do Chapéu, she had a rapid ascent in distance running beginning at the age of 24 after joining the BM&F Bovespa athletics club and working with coach Adauto Domingues. She won the Guaratingueta 10K and set a half marathon best of 77:47 minutes at the São Paulo Half Marathon in 2009. She began 2010 with another half marathon best run of 75:43 minutes in São Paulo, coming second in the race, then a 10,000 metres personal best of 33:25.6 minutes to win the State championships.[1]

She was chosen to compete at the 2010 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics and she won the 5000 metres silver medal in a personal best of 15:49.79 minutes before running a 3000 metres best of 9:09.41 minutes for fourth in that contest.[2][3][4] She failed a doping test at a 10-mile race in Brazil, being positive for the banned stimulant Oxilofrine, and was suspended from December 2010 to February 2011.[1] She was retrospectively banned, but competed at the Saint Silvester Road Race in the meantime, taking second place behind Alice Timbilil.[5]

Upon her return da Silva won the women's title at the 2011 South American Cross Country Championships, leading Brazil to the team title.[6] That May she broke the South American record for the 5000 m with a run of 15:18.85 minutes at a small meet in São Paulo.[7] At the 2011 South American Championships in Athletics in Buenos Aires she came sixth in the 1500 metres then made a career breakthrough by winning the 10,000 m with a time of 31:59.11 minutes – the second fastest by a South American and a championship record.[8] At the Troféu Brasil de Atletismo later that year she won a 5000/10,000 m national title double. Her 10,000 metres time of 31:16.56 minutes was a new South American record and over half a minute faster than Carmem de Oliveira's previous mark set in 1993.[9]

However, her doping sample at that competition came back positive for erythropoietin (EPO), a banned blood boosting substance. She was provisionally suspended from October 2011 onwards and Clube de Atletismo BM&F Bovespa cut ties with her.[10] A Brazilian Disciplinary Committee acquitted her of the doping offence in January 2012, but the Brazilian Athletics Confederation lodged an appeal to instate a ban on da Silva.[11] She remains banned from competition.[12]

  1. ^ a b Simone Da Silva. Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2012-03-31.
  2. ^ "2010 Ibero-American Championships Day 1 Results". RFEA. 4 June 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  3. ^ "2010 Ibero-American Championships Day 2 Results". RFEA. 5 June 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  4. ^ "2010 Ibero-American Championships Day 3 Results". RFEA. 6 June 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  5. ^ Biscayart, Eduardo (2011-01-01). Dos Santos and Timbilil cruise to Sao Paulo wins. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-03-31.
  6. ^ Biscayart, Eduardo (2011-02-21). Brazil and Peru dominate South American XC champs in Asuncion. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-03-31.
  7. ^ Biscayart, Eduardo (2011-05-23). Maggi and Chambers the standouts in São Paulo. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-03-31.
  8. ^ Biscayart, Eduardo (2011-06-06). Brazil retains South American title in Buenos Aires – Final Day. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-06-06.
  9. ^ Biscayart, Eduardo (2011-08-08). Three South American records fall in São Paulo Archived 2012-08-01 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-03-31.
  10. ^ Gomes, Paulo (2011-10-14). CBAt confirma doping de Simone Alves da Silva, que é desligada do BM&F. Webrun. Retrieved on 2012-03-31.
  11. ^ Sinato, Alexandre (2011-01-28). Absolvida em caso de doping, fundista vende lingeries e monta sex shop em casa (in Portuguese). UOL Esporte. Retrieved on 2012-03-31.
  12. ^ IAAF Sanctioned Athletes - 27 March 2012. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-03-31.