Five celebrated Costa Rican sporting heroes

Sport360 staff 23:20 04/07/2014
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  • Costa Rica causing constant upsets: Here are five of the best sport stars from the Central American country.

    It is Costa Rica's big day on Saturday, the Central American country are making a historic appearance in the World Cup quarter-finals where they face Netherlands.

    Here is a list of five noted sports men and women from Costa Rica:

    Sylvia and Claudia Poll

    They owe their place in Costa Rica's sporting hall of fame for winning the country's first ever silver and gold Olympic medals. Older sister Sylvia, born in Nicaragua of German parents, minted silver at the Seoul Games in 1988 in the women's 200m freestyle. The two year younger Claudia went one better at the Atlanta Games in 1996, in the same event.

    Andrey Amador Bi kazakova

    Son of a Russian immigrant he is the first Costa Rican cyclist to compete in the Tour de France, lining up in the sports' blue riband in 2012 after claiming a stage, the mountainous 14th, on that year's Tour of Italy.

    Hanna Gabriel Valle.

    The boxer owes her place in her country's sporting folklore when claiming the WBO welterweight belt in 2009, renouncing the title months later when she suffered a series of blackouts due to her diet. Moving up to junior middleweight she won that division's WBO title in May 2010.

    Luis Gabelo Conejo

    The idol of 2014 World Cup shot-stopper Keylor Navas, Conejo rose to international fame at the 1990 World Cup in Italy. A series of spectacular saves in the spirit of the United States' Tim Howard against Brazil, Scotland and Sweden saw him named the tournament's best goalkeeper. As in 2014, Costa rica made it to the last 16, where, with conejo absent due to injury, they lost to Czechoslovakia. Part of the backroom staff in Brazil.

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