The 1988 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics (Spanish: III Campeonato Iberoamericano de Atletismo) was the third edition of the international athletics competition between Ibero-America

Ibero-America

Ibero-America is a term used since the second half of the 19th century to refer collectively to the countries in the Americas that were formerly colonies of Spain or Portugal. Spain and Portugal are themselves included in some definitions, such as that of the Ibero-American Summit and the...

n nations which was held in Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...

, Mexico from 22–24 July. A total of forty events were contested, of which 22 by male and 18 by female athletes. A total of 371 athletes and 19 nations took part in the three-day competition.

All performances were set at high altitude, which aided athletes in most events (compared to performing at lower climes) with the exception of long-distance running events. Three new events were introduced at the 1988 edition of the competition: the women's 10,000 metres, women's marathon

Marathon

The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

 and women's 10,000 m race walk. The men's marathon race returned to the Ibero-American Championships after a break in 1986.

Cuba topped the medal table for a third time, winning eighteen gold medal

Gold medal

A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...

s and 34 medals overall. The next best performing nation was Spain, which won nine events and had 28 medals. Mexico, the host nation, edged Brazil into fourth place with its tally of five golds and 19 medals, while the Brazilians had one less gold and two fewer in total.

Three athletes remained undefeated at the championship, taking three straight wins: José Alonso

José Alonso (athlete)

José Alonso Valero is a retired Spanish hurdler, who specialized in the 400 metres hurdles. During the indoor season he competed over 400 metres, winning two medals at the 1985 and 1986 European Indoor Championships.-Achievements:-References:*...

 in the men's 400 m hurdles, Alberto Ruiz

Alberto Ruiz

Alberto Ruiz is a retired Spanish pole vaulter.His personal best jump was 5.61 metres, achieved in June 1986 in Manresa.-Achievements:-References:...

 in the men's pole vault, and Ana Fidelia Quirot

Ana Fidelia Quirot

Ana Fidelia Quirot is a female athlete from Cuba, who specialised in the 800 m but was also successful over 400 m....

 in the women's 400 m. In the heats of the men's 100 metres Robson da Silva

Robson da Silva

Robson Caetano da Silva is the most successful Brazilian sprinter to date. He participated in four consecutive Olympic Summer Games and won the bronze medal over 200 metres in the 1988 Seoul Olympics as well as in the 4×100 m relay in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.Possibly Da Silva's greatest...

 (who went on to win a 100/200 m double) ran a time of ten seconds flat – a new South American record time.

Ana Fidelia Quirot completed a 400/800 m double. Madeline de Jesús

Madeline de Jesús

Madeline de Jesús is a retired female track and field athlete from Puerto Rico, who competed in the women's long jump and triple jump during her career. Her personal best in the long jump was set on July 24, 1988 in Mexico City...

 jumped a national record to win the women's long jump

Long jump

The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...

 and Puerto Rico's sole gold of the tournament. The Cuban women took the top two spots in all the throws, while Spain's women had 1–2 finishes in both the short sprints. The Mexican long-distance athletes excelled at high altitude: the men won the gold and silver medals in the track running and walking events, while the women also claimed the top two spots in the walks.

Men

100 metres		10.08		10.12		10.13
200 metres		20.05 CR		20.22		20.24
400 metres		44.44 CR		45.28		45.61
800 metres		1:47.16 CR		1:47.38		1:47.66
1500 metres		3:52.11		3:53.10		3:53.19
5000 metres		14:10.72		14:25.78		14:41.75
10,000 metres		29:51.09		30:42.69		31:50.60
110 metres hurdles		13.71 CR		13.80		13.83
400 metres hurdles		49.20 CR		49.61		50.12
3000 metres steeplechase		9:05.21		9:06.11		9:14.45
4×100 metres relay	Cuba Andrés Simón Andrés Simón Andrés Simón Gómez is a former sprinter from Cuba who won an Olympic bronze medal in 4 x 100 metres relay in Barcelona 1992. He also participated in the relay at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He specialized in the 60 meters and 100 metres events. His personal best for the 100m is 10.06, set in... Leandro Peñalver Leandro Peñalver Leandro Peñalver is a retired Cuban athlete who competed in the sprints. His personal best is 10.06 seconds, achieved in Caracas in 1983.-External links:... Sergio Querol Jaime Jefferson Jaime Jefferson Jaime Jefferson is a retired long jumper who represented Cuba. Best known for his World Indoor Championships medals, he has also won the Pan American Games twice as well as other regional games....	38.86 CR	Spain Florencio Gascon Valentín Rocandio Enrique Talavera José Javier Arqués	39.36	Portugal Fernando Damasio Pedro Curvelo Luís Cunha Luis Barroso	39.63
4×400 metres relay	Cuba Lazaro Martínez Lazaro Martínez Lázaro Martínez Despaigne is a retired Cuban sprinter who specialized in the 400 metres.He won an Olympic silver medal in 4 x 400 metres relay in Barcelona 1992. His personal best of 46.12 was set during the 1991 World Championships.... Jorge Valentin Félix Stevens Félix Stevens Félix Stevens is a retired male sprinter from Cuba, who competed in the 1980s and the early 1990s for his native country. He set is personal best in the men's 200 metres event on July 7, 1989 at a meet in Sofia, Bulgaria.... Roberto Hernández	2:59.71 CR	Venezuela Charles Bodington Aaron Phillips Henry Aguiar Jesús Malavé	3:04.56 NR Venezuelan records in athletics The following are the national records in athletics in Venezuela maintained by its national athletics federation: Federación Venezolana de Atletismo .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:A = affected by altitude# = not officially ratified by Federation...	Portugal Pedro Curvelo Filipe Lomba Arnaldo Abrantes Alvaro Silva	3:05.14
Marathon		2:23:59 CR		2:24:27		2:28:25
20 km walk		1:21:47 CR		1:24:29		1:27:23
High jump		2.35 m CR		2.31 m		2.25 m NR Argentine records in athletics The following are the national records in athletics in Argentina maintained by its national athletics federation: Confederación Argentina de Atletismo .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:ht = hand timing+ = en route to a longer distance...
Pole vault		5.30 m CR		5.30 m CR		5.00 m
Long jump		8.37 m CR		8.18 m		8.08 m
Triple jump		16.98 m CR		16.84 m		16.81 m
Shot put		19.18 m		18.98 m		17.68 m
Discus throw		65.20 m		63.72 m		56.16 m
Hammer throw		68.46 m		68.00 m		67.52 m
Javelin throw		75.56 m		73.48 m		69.30 m

Women

100 metres		11.47 CR		11.59		11.67
200 metres		23.04 CR		23.06		23.35 †
400 metres		50.54 CR		51.74		52.16
800 metres		2:01.52		2:02.00		2:03.89
1500 metres		4:28.91		4:39.21		4:40.43
3000 metres		9:46.35		9:46.66		9:58.99
10,000 metres		35:33.67 CR		36:08.54A		36:23.00
100 metres hurdles		13.28 CR		13.53		13.54
400 metres hurdles		56.73 CR		57.12 NR Ecuadorian records in athletics The following are the national records in athletics in Ecuador maintained by Ecuador's national athletics federation: Federación Ecuatoriana de Atletismo .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:+ = en route to a longer distance...		57.64
4×100 metres relay	Spain Sandra Myers Sandra Myers Sandra Myers is a retired 400 metres sprinter who represented Spain after switching from the United States. She became US champion in 400 metres in 1981, but received Spanish nationality in 1987 and competed for Spain since... Cristina Pérez Yolanda Díaz Lourdes Valdor	44.47 CR	Mexico Sandra Tavárez Alma Delia Vásquez Alejandra Flores Guadalupe García	45.20 NR Mexican records in athletics The following are the national records in athletics in Mexico maintained by its national athletics federation: Federación Mexicana de Atletismo .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:ht = hand timing+ = en route to a longer distance# = not officially ratified...	Brazil Conceição Aparecida Geremias Juraciara Pereira da Silva Claudiléia Matos Santos Inês Antonia Santos Ribeiro	45.28
4×400 metres relay	Brazil Rosângela de Oliveira Souza Suzette García Montalvão Soraya Telles Soraya Telles Soraya Vieira Telles is a former middle distance runner from Brazil, who represented her native country at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.... Maria Magnolia Souza Figueiredo	3:29.22 CR	Spain Montserrat Pujol Rosa Colorado Esther Lahoz Blanca Lacambra	3:32.54	Cuba Mercedes Alvarez Nelsa María Vinent Odalys Hernández Ana Fidelia Quirot Ana Fidelia Quirot Ana Fidelia Quirot is a female athlete from Cuba, who specialised in the 800 m but was also successful over 400 m....	3:32.77
Marathon		3:00:42 CR		3:05:16		3:08:00
10,000 m track walk		51:08.1 CR		51:09.8		52:00.4
High jump		1.97 m CR		1.88 m		1.85 m
Long jump		6.96 m CR NR		6.55 m		6.38 m
Shot put		17.23 m CR		15.93 m		15.51 m
Discus throw		56.34 m		55.38 m		54.22 m
Javelin throw (old model)		62.48 m		61.82 m		56.10 m

• ^† : GBR Athletics lists Colombia's Ximena Restrepo
  Ximena Restrepo
  Ximena Restrepo Gaviria is a former Colombian sprinter. With the time of 49.64 seconds she won a bronze medal in 400 metres at the 1992 Olympic Games, Colombia's first athletics medal. This result is still a South American record, as is the case with her 200 metres time of 22.92 seconds, which she...
  
  as the joint bronze medallist in the women's 200 m. However, the official results show Restrepo finished in fourth with a time of 23.46 seconds.

Medal table

Key:

1	Cuba	18	11	5	34
2	Spain	9	8	11	28
3	Mexico	5	12	3	20
4	Brazil	4	3	10	17
5	Ecuador	2	3	1	6
6	Puerto Rico	1	2	1	4
7	Argentina	1	0	2	3
8	Venezuela	0	1	1	2
9	Portugal	0	0	2	2
10=	Chile	0	0	1	1
10=	Colombia	0	0	1	1
10=	Guatemala	0	0	1	1
10=	Peru	0	0	1	1
Total		40	40	40	120