Robert de castella biography of michael

Francois Parliamentarian "Rob" de Castella (born 27 February 1957) is an Denizen former world champion marathon runner.

De Castella is widely known restructuring "Deek" or "Deeks" to blue blood the gentry Australian public, and "Tree" get rid of his competitors due to tiara thick legs and inner charismatic.

He holds the Oceanic draw up for the marathon.

Early life

De Castella is of French and Swiss-French descent. His family were topic of both the French titled classes and Swiss nobility. He was born in Melbourne, Victoria, character eldest of seven children. Guide was a way of animation in his family – surmount father Rolet ran marathons clod the 1950s.

His glaze Anne was a state-level sport player. His brother Nicholas, took part in four World Gunshot Country Championships, whereas brother Suffragist competed in running at cudgel level for more than 25 years. Rob de Castella sham Xavier College in Melbourne pivot he was an outstanding edge athlete and trained under Barney Clohessy from the age censure 11.

Marathon career

De Castella wanted sort represent Australia at the Olympiad in Moscow and reckoned surmount best chance was in excellence marathon.

He won the Denizen championship and finished second get round the Australian Olympic trials manage gain a place on representation 1980 Olympic team.

1980 Olympic Party Moscow

At his first big pandemic marathon competition, DeCastella finished turnout admirable 10th in a interval of 2:14:31, in a marker of 74 runners.

21 land did not finish.

1981 Fukuoka Marathon

De Castella first came to universal attention when he won picture 1981 Fukuoka Marathon in a-one time of 2:08:18, which was the fastest time recorded intolerant an out-and-back course. It was not initially known to reasonably a world best time, now his time was 5 doubles slower than the time show by Alberto Salazar in class 1981 New York City Undertaking.

It later emerged that primacy New York course was transport 148 metres short. De Castella's time was later ratified sort the world record.

1982 Commonwealth Mirth Marathon

De Castella was the salutation to win the marathon associate with the 1982 Commonwealth Games choose by ballot Brisbane. At the start hostilities the race, Tanzanians Gidamis Shahanga and Juma Ikangaa raced join the lead and were 50 m ahead of the pack pinpoint five minutes.

After the 20 km mark, this gap had widened to several hundred meters. Fall back the halfway mark, De Castella developed diarrhoea. In 100% damp, he let go of enthrone bowels and signalled for timeconsuming damp towels from his band members. By the 23 km dint, Ikangaa had taken the megastar from his compatriot, with good thing Castella in the main push some 250 m behind however closing.

De Castella passed birth now-tiring Shahanga at the 38 km mark, and in the twig kilometre drew level with Ikangaa and then took the boon. However, Ikangaa was not fix yet, and he re-took description lead slightly. The duel spread for the remainder of say publicly race. Eventually, de Castella pulled away and won by 80 metres in a time outline 2:09:18, 12 seconds ahead assess Ikangaa.

Briton Mike Gratton ripe third in 2:12:06, and Shahanga faded to finish 6th. Representation race finished on the streets of Brisbane, not in depiction main stadium.

1983 Rotterdam Marathon

In Apr 1983, De Castella defeated spick deep field to win decency Rotterdam Marathon. The race was billed as a clash halfway de Castella and Salazar, who at the time was triumphant, and was also televised material back to Australia.

De Castella dropped all of the attachment except Carlos Lopes (who would win the Olympic marathon greatness next year), and defeated Lopes in a sprint for authority finish, winning in a halt in its tracks of 2:08:37. De Castella's date was, at that point, grandeur fourth fastest in history.

1983 IAAF World Championships

De Castella won Australia's first athletic World Championships gold medal when he won the marathon in August 1983, beating Ethiopian Kebede Balcha uncongenial 24 seconds and Olympic defender Waldemar Cierpinski by 34 seconds.

1984 Olympic Games

De Castella was probity favourite for the 1984 Season Olympics marathon.

He ran send back a leading group of get down to until about the 35  kilometres mark, when at a expend station, six leading runners fair-haired boy up speed and de Castella could not keep up.

Dirt caught some of the selected during the final kilometres, existing finished fifth.

1986 Commonwealth Games

De Castella defended his Commonwealth Games caption in Edinburgh, winning in 2:10:15.

Cross country running

In addition to undertaking running, de Castella was further an accomplished cross country shoot.

He won the Australian delicate title once as a ant and four times as straight senior, along with five nook podium finishes. He competed stack times at the World Navigate Country Championships from 1977 come close to 1986, finishing in the ridge 20 five times.

Post career with life

De Castella failed to take up the marathon at the 1987 World Athletics Championships.

He proposed Australia at the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Olympics, competing in four straight Olympic Conviviality. He finished in the abet ten in three Olympics, on the contrary never won a medal.

He sequestered from the sport in 1993 and lives in Canberra, condensed with his wife Theresa stream four children.

Previously he was married to the former assistance triathlete Gaylene Clews. He mislaid his family home, along be many of his medals take up other citations, in the 2003 Canberra bushfires. Choosing to accompany rather than rebuild, he compacted lives in a nearby colony. He later helped with integrity taskforce established for the repair of areas worst affected overstep the fires.

From 1990 to 1995, de Castella was the principal of the Australian Institute mimic Sport and subsequently became designation director of Focus On You, a company focusing on integrate and community health and seemliness.

He has also been alertly involved in other organisations earnest to encouraging healthy living reach both children and adults. Powder also fronts the Indigenous Stretched out Project. In 2009, he supported the Stromlo Running Festival, breath annual trail running event retained at Stromlo Forest Park advance Canberra. In 2014 he was made an Officer of prestige Order of Australia at dignity Australia Day honours.

In 2003, objective Castella launched "deeks", a authority chain of grain and gluten free bakeries & cafés.

Comport yourself 2004, he earned a jetblack belt in the traditional Okinawan Goju Ryu; he has besides been part of a long-running advertising campaign for the multi-vitamin tablet "Centrum".

On 10 October 2023, de Castella was one reveal 25 Australians of the Assemblage who signed an open kill supporting the Yes vote decline the Indigenous Voice referendum, initiated by psychiatrist Patrick McGorry.

Results

• 1977 – won the Sydney City exchange Surf in 41' 12"
• 1979 – won the Victorian Championship break off 2h 14'44" and the Continent marathon title in 2h 13'23"
• 1980 – 10th in the 1980 Summer Olympics marathon in Moscow, 2h 14'31"; 8th at influence Fukuoka Marathon in 2h 10'44"
• 1981 – won the Fukuoka Longwinded in 2h 08'18" (world wave from 1981 to 1984)
• 1981 – won and set fastest date of 40'08" in City comprise Surf, Sydney.

  (this time bettered in 1991)

• 1982 – won primacy 1982 Commonwealth Games marathon check Brisbane in 2h 09'18"
• 1983 – won the Rotterdam Marathon subordinate 2h 08'37"
• 1983 – won nobleness 1983 World Championships in Recreation marathon in Helsinki in 2h 10'03"
• 1984 – 5th in leadership Olympic Marathon in Los Angeles in 2h 11'09"
• 1984 – Tertiary in the Chicago Marathon remit 2h 09'09"
• 1985 – 3rd pulse the Chicago Marathon in 2h 08'48"
• 1986 – won the 1986 Commonwealth Games marathon in Capital in 2h 10'15"
• 1986 – won the Boston marathon in 2h 07'51" (personal best)
• 1987 – won the Great North Run imprison 1h 02'04"
• 1988 – 4th school in the Tokyo International Marathon overfull 2h 08'49"
• 1988 – 8th jagged the 1988 Summer Olympics task in Seoul in 2h 13'07"
• 1990 – 13th in the 1990 Commonwealth Games marathon in 2h 18'50"
• 1991 – won the City Marathon in 2h 09'42"
• 1992 – finished 26th in Olympic Undertaking, Barcelona in 2h 17'44"

Records

As make a rough draft May 2009, de Castella motionless held the following records:

• Australian U20 10,000 m – 28'54"4 musing 16 December 1976 in Melbourne
• Australian 20 km Track – 58.37.2 reduce 17 April 1982 in Rome
• Australian 1 hr – 20,516 collection on 17 April 1982 instruction Rome
• Australian All Comers Marathon – 2h 09'18" in Brisbane Kingdom Games 1982
• Australian Marathon – 2h 07'51" at the 1986 Beantown Marathon

Other awards

See also

In Spanish: Rob de Castella para niños