<p style="text-align: justify;">The Portuguese distance running legend <strong>Rosa Mota</strong> will be presented with the <strong>AIMS Lifetime Achievement Award</strong> at the fifth annual AIMS ‘Best Marathon Runner’ (BMR) Awards Gala, to be held in the home of the Marathon in Athens, Greece on 10 November 2017.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Rosa’s career will be honoured on behalf of the AIMS Members who represent more than 435 of the world’s leading and most prestigious races from 114 countries and territories, including the ‘Athens Marathon. The Authentic’, Beijing, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, Comrades, New York, Paris &amp; Tokyo Marathons.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The <strong>AIMS Lifetime Achievement Award</strong> will be presented to Rosa in recognition of her incredible career in distance running.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: inherit; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;">Born in Porto, Portugal in 1958, Rosa first came to international attention in 1982 at the European Championships where she won the first official international championship marathon for women, staged on the classic course from Marathon to Athens.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: inherit; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;">In 1988 at the Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, Rosa became the first Portuguese sportswoman to win Olympic gold by winning the marathon. In addition to the gold in </span>Seoul<span style="background-color: inherit; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;"> she won </span>an Olympic bronze<span style="background-color: inherit; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;">, World Championship gold </span>and<span style="background-color: inherit; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;"> three consecutive European Championship golds throughout her career.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: inherit; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;">She was also greatly successful in marathons around the world, winning the Rotterdam, Chicago (twice), Tokyo, Boston (three times), Osaka and London marathons.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: inherit; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;">In total, Rosa competed in 21 marathons in her career, winning 14.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: inherit; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;">AIMS President Paco Borao comments: “We are very happy that Rosa will join us in Athens, the birthplace of the Marathon, to receive her lifetime achievement award. Her achievements have been an inspiration to women and girls around the world for many years.”</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: inherit; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;">Rosa Mota comments: “I am looking forward to </span>travelling<span style="background-color: inherit; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;"> to Athens to see my friends in AIMS. I am </span>honoured<span style="background-color: inherit; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;"> to be presented with this award. I would like to thank AIMS and their members for </span>recognising<span style="background-color: inherit; color: inherit; font-family: inherit;"> me in this way.”</span></p>