# José Luíz Barbosa

José Luíz Barbosa, known as Zequinha Barbosa (born May 27, 1961) is a Brazilian former middle-distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres. José participated in 4 Olympic Games: 1984 Los Angeles; 1988 Soul Korea; 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta. He is the 1987 World Indoor Champion, and a two-time World Championship medallist, winning silver in 1991 and bronze in 1987. 1995 Pan American gold medalist 800m 1987 Silver medalist, 1983 Silver medalist 800m and Silver 4x400m. Jose was ranked number one in the world in the 800m in 1991.

## Career

Born in Três Lagoas, Mato Grosso do Sul, Barbosa won the silver medal at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo. A few weeks before, Barbosa had won the 800m race at the prestigious Letzigrund meeting in Zürich. He travelled to Tokyo as the favourite but lost to Billy Konchellah from Kenya, who overtook him on the home straight.
Shortly after the championships, Barbosa ran the fastest time of the year in Rieti, where he clocked 1 minute 43.08 secs. This remained his personal best throughout the remainder of his career. A year later he placed fourth in the Olympic final.
Earlier in his career, Barbosa had won a bronze medal at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome, and finished sixth in the 800m final at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Barbosa celebrated his greatest indoor success at the 1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Indianapolis, where he won gold over 800m. At the 1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Toronto he entered the 800m final as a favourite but dropped out after colliding with Nico Motchebon.
Barbosa was head Cross Country and Track and Field Coach at Granite Hills High School in El Cajon for 5 1/2 years.
Barbosa was also the Men's Cross Country and Track and Field coach for Mesa College in San Diego.
On December 1, 2021, he was named the Cross Country and track assistant coach at Bellevue University Nebraska.

## Competition record

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| Representing Brazil ||||||
| 1981 | South American Championships | La Paz, Bolivia | 2nd | 800 m | 1:54.7 |
| 1981 | South American Championships | La Paz, Bolivia | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:09.5 |
| 1983 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 19th (sf) | 800 m | 1:48.05 |
| 1983 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 6th (sf) | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:04.46 |
| 1983 | Pan American Games | Caracas, Venezuela | 2nd | 800 m | 1:46.65 |
| 1983 | Pan American Games | Caracas, Venezuela | 2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:02.79 |
| 1983 | Ibero-American Championships | Barcelona, Spain | 3rd | 800 m | 1:50.02 |
| 1983 | Ibero-American Championships | Barcelona, Spain | 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | 41.00 |
| 1983 | Ibero-American Championships | Barcelona, Spain | 2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:07.62 |
| 1983 | South American Championships | Santa Fe, Argentina | 1st | 800 m | 1:49.1 |
| 1983 | South American Championships | Santa Fe, Argentina | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3.10.8 |
| 1984 | Olympic Games | Los Angeles, United States | 15th (sf) | 800 m | 1:48.70 |
| 1984 | Olympic Games | Los Angeles, United States | 7th (sf) | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:03:99 |
| 1987 | World Indoor Championships | Indianapolis, United States | 1st | 800 m | 1:47.49 |
| 1987 | Pan American Games | Indianapolis, United States | 2nd | 800 m | 1:47.37 |
| 1987 | World Championships | Rome, Italy | 3rd | 800 m | 1:43.76 |
| 1987 | World Championships | Rome, Italy | 19th (h) | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:05.64 |
| 1988 | Olympic Games | Seoul, South Korea | 6th | 800 m | 1:46.39 |
| 1988 | Olympic Games | Seoul, South Korea | 33rd (h) | 1500 m | 3:44.46 |
| 1989 | World Indoor Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 2nd | 800 m | 1:45.55 |
| 1990 | Goodwill Games | Seattle, United States | 3rd | 800 m | 1:45.81 |
| 1990 | Ibero-American Championships | Manaus, Brazil | 1st | 800 m | 1:46.18 |
| 1991 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 2nd | 800 m | 1:44.24 |
| 1992 | Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | 4th | 800 m | 1:45.06 |
| 1992 | World Cup | Havana, Cuba | 4th | 800 m | 1:47.66 |
| 1993 | World Indoor Championships | Toronto, Canada | 6th (sf) | 800 m | 1:48.56 |
| 1993 | World Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | 15th (sf) | 800 m | 1:45.92 |
| 1994 | Goodwill Games | Saint Petersburg, Russia | 6th | 800 m | 1:47.49 |
| 1994 | World Cup | London, United Kingdom | 7th | 800 m | 1:48.26 |
| 1995 | Pan American Games | Buenos Aires, Argentina | 1st | 800 m | 1:46.02 |
| 1995 | Pan American Games | Buenos Aires, Argentina | 4th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:07.54 |
| 1995 | South American Championships | Manaus, Brazil | 1st | 800 m | 1:46.16 |
| 1995 | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 15th (h) | 800 m | 1:47.10 |
| 1996 | Ibero-American Championships | Medellín, Colombia | 2nd (h) | 800 m | 1:49.93 |
| 1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 23rd (sf) | 800 m | 1:50.33 |
| 1997 | World Championships | Athens, Greece | 25th (qf) | 800 m | 1:47.30 |

## Personal bests

Outdoor
* 400 metres – 45.9h (Sǎo Paulo 1983)
* 800 metres – 1:43.08 (Rieti 1991)
* 1000 metres – 2:17.36 (Nice 1985)
* 1500 metres – 3:37.04 (Grosseto 1991)
Indoor
* 600 metres – 1:16.82 (Karlsruhe 1986)
* 800 metres – 1:45.43 (Piraeus 1989)
* 1000 metres – 2:20.77 (Madrid 1989)