VIEIRA Joao

General
LONGEVITY
At age 43 he became the oldest competitor in any athletics discipline to win a medal at the world championships, claiming silver in the 50km walk at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. "Humility has helped me all these years, and the fact of not having had any health issues gives me the strength to continue putting in good performances. The secret of longevity as a professional athlete is to do everything the right way. Often I get up in the morning thinking that I am still 20, and I start the day with that mindset. A lot of people look at me and they don't see a 43-year old, but a young man, because my will to win in competitions is so big. I'm still here, fighting against the younger ones." (publico.pt, 07 Oct 2019; dn.pt, 29 Sep 2019)

COACH AT HOME
His wife and former Portuguese race walker Vera Santos began coaching him in 2016. "She knows what an athlete goes through in race walking. I knew that with her help, some situations might be easier, so she became my coach. She does planning for my training and the season, and that has brought me results. Things are easy because we are a team capable of dealing with difficulties. She understands my difficulties and she pulls me up so I can overcome them." (dn.pt, 29 Sep 2019; desporto.sapo.pt, 10 Jan 2020)

SIBLING RIVALRY
His twin brother Sergio also represented Portugal in race walking, and retired following the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The pair took up the sport at the same time, at about age 13. "We cannot say it was a healthy rivalry, because when we were competing we rarely spoke to each other. Later I went to Sporting Clube and he went to Benfica [both clubs located in Lisbon, Portugal]. It was a difficult moment but it is finished once the sporting career is over. In the end we are brothers and we will remain so for life. Now we are no longer rivals and he is the godfather of my daughter. He was by my refreshment station at a competition last year [2019]." (desporto.sapo.pt, 10 Jan 2020)

CHANGING EVENTS
He has competed in the 50km race walk more often as he has gotten older. "I cannot deny that the 20km was always my best event, but I am aware that the 50km is the one which can bring me better results at world level. My speed is no longer the same. With age we train well, but then on race day things might not go our way. The 50km is quite an event. The preparation might be good but at the competition everything can go wrong. The hardest thing in the 50km event is training for the 50km event." (desporto.sapo.pt, 10 Jan 2020)

At age 43 years and 221 days, he became the oldest competitor in any athletics discipline to have finished on the podium at the world championships. He won silver in the 50km walk at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. (SportsDeskOnline, 03 Feb 2020; dn.pt, 29 Sep 2019)