Early Career
Calatayud, who attended Havana's Manuel Permuy Sports School, got involved in athletics to help her deal with her asthma. She first gained prominence by reaching the semi-finals of the 400m at the 1998 World Junior Championships in Annecy, France. In 1999, she ran 2:00.67 to finish second at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada. She finished sixth in the 800m at the Olympics Games in Sydney, Australia. 2000 was also notable to Calatayud because she went under the 2-minute barrier, first doing so when she ran 1:59.63 in Jena, Germany.
In 2002, Calatayud became the 30th-fastest woman ever in her event, running 1:56.09 at the Herculis Golden League meeting, in Monaco. It was to be her last competition for 19 months, as dual shin injuries kept the 22-year-old from even being able to train. She made a successful retun to competition, not only qualifying for the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, but making her second consecutive Olympics final, finishing eighth.
Read more about this topic: Zulia Calatayud
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