Adalberto Cardoso

The early 1930s was a bleak time in Brazil, with the country being hit with the effects of the Great Depression and its own civil war, the Constitutionalist Revolution. The Brazilian delegation for the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics travelled by ship, the Itaquicê, with the athletes having to sell coffee to finance their trip. Only those who were believed to have a chance of winning a medal left the boat in Los Angeles, as the port authorities charged one dollar for each person who disembarked. Long-distance runner Adalberto Cardoso was not one of them, so he was forced to stay onboard until the ship docked in San Francisco. Cardoso then began an 18-hour journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles, with him walking, running, and hitchhiking the 600kms to the Olympics. He arrived at the Olympic Stadium only 10 minutes before the start of the 10,000 metres, where he had barely enough time to change. Despite running barefoot, he managed to complete the race, albeit finishing in 13th and last place. The crowd learned of Cardoso’s story via the stadium announcer, with them cheering him home and him earning him the nickname “Homem de Ferro” (Iron Man). After the Olympics he returned to his day job of working in the Brazilian Navy and later served in World War II.

Personal Best: 10000 – unknown.