# Marco Fortes

Marco Fortes (born 26 September 1982) is a male shot putter from Portugal. His personal best throw is 21.02 meters – Portuguese record – was achieved at the 2012 European Cup Winter Throwing in Bar, Montenegro, where he won the gold medal.

## Career

Fortes was born in Portugal to Mozambican immigrants. At the age of 25, he was the first Portuguese shot putter to participate in the Olympics. In Beijing 2008, after beating his personal (and national) record (18.05) he jokingly stated "I seem to perform better in the afternoon. Apparently I would do better to remain in bed on mornings." In response, he was expelled from the Olympic committee. This spawned controversy, especially when Nelson Évora, who was the only Portuguese athlete to earn olympic gold that year, protested against his expulsion upon his victory speech on national TV.
Marco Fortes carried on beating his personal (and national) records, arriving at 20.52 in 2009, 20.89 in 2011, and 21,02 in 2012. In his second participation in the Olympics, in London 2012, he rose from his 2008 classification of 38th place to 15th place.

## Achievements

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| Representing Portugal ||||||
| 2000 | World Junior Championships | Santiago, Chile | 18th (q) | Shot put | 16.36 m |
| 2000 | World Junior Championships | Santiago, Chile | 26th (q) | Discus | 46.32 m |
| 2001 | European Junior Championships | Grosseto, Italy | 3rd | Shot put (6 kg) | 17.86 m |
| 2003 | European U23 Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 12th | Shot put | 17.61 m |
| 2004 | Ibero-American Championships | Huelva, Spain | 7th | Shot put | 17.01 m |
| 2006 | Lusophony Games | Macau | 1st | Shot put | 17.73 m |
| 2008 | World Indoor Championships | Valencia, Spain | 20th (q) | Shot put | 17.96 m |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 38th (q) | Shot put | 18.05 m |
| 2009 | European Indoor Championships | Turin, Italy | 14th (q) | Shot put | 19.00 m |
| 2009 | Lusophony Games | Lisbon, Portugal | 1st | Shot put | 19.74 m |
| 2009 | World Championships | Berlin, Germany | 18th (q) | Shot put | 19.81 m |
| 2010 | European Championships | Barcelona, Spain | 13th (q) | Shot put | 19.48 m |
| 2010 | Ibero-American Championships | San Fernando, Spain | 1st | Shot put | 20.69 m (CR/NR) |
| 2011 | European Indoor Championships | Paris, France | 8th | Shot put | 19.83 m |
| 2011 | European Cup Winter Throwing | Sofia, Bulgaria | 2nd | Shot put | 20.18 m |
| 2011 | World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 6th | Shot put | 20.32 m |
| 2012 | World Indoor Championship | Istanbul, Turkey | 10th (q) | Shot put | 19.83 m |
| 2012 | European Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 5th | Shot put | 20.24 m |
| 2012 | Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 15th | Shot put | 20.06 m |
| 2013 | European Indoor Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 5th | Shot put | 20.02 m |
| 2013 | World Championships | Moscow, Russia | 16th (q) | Shot put | 19.38 m |
| 2014 | World Indoor Championships | Sopot, Poland | 11th (q) | Shot put | 20.12 m |
| 2014 | European Championships | Zürich, Switzerland | 7th | Shot put | 20.35 m |
| 2016 | Ibero-American Championships | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 2nd | Shot put | 19.05 m |
| 2016 | European Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 23rd (q) | Shot put | 18.64 m |