Francisco Aritmendi

Francisco Aritmendi

Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Spain
International Cross Country Championships
	1964 Dublin	Senior race
	1962 Sheffield	Senior team

Francisco Aritmendi Criado (17 or 19 September 1938 – 12 April 2020) was a Spanish long-distance runner who competed mainly in cross country running competitions. He was the gold medallist at the 1964 International Cross Country Championships. He was a six-time competitor at the competition and also shared in a team silver in 1962. However, his failure to finish at the 1963 race drew great criticism as Spain missed the team title as a result.

Aritmendi also competed on the track and represented Spain at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics in the 5000 meters. He was the Spanish record holder in that event, having become the first Spaniard under fourteen minutes with his best of 13:53.4 minutes. He was a three-time national champion: twice in cross country and once in the 10,000 meters. He ran during the amateur era of athletics and ultimately sold his historic International Cross Country gold medal due to poverty. His achievements were recognized nationally in 2007 when he was given the bronze Royal Order of Sports Merit.