Caterine Ibargüen

Caterine Ibargüen Mena ODB (born 12 February 1984) is a retired Colombian athlete competing in high jump, long jump and triple jump. Her notable achievements include a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, silver medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics, two gold medals in the World Championships in Athletics, and two gold medals in the 2011 Pan American Games and 2015 Pan American Games.

Biography Caterine was born in the Urabá region of Antioquia, where she was raised by her grandmother after her parents separated because of the armed conflict in Colombia. Her father left for Venezuela and her mother moved to Turbo, Colombia. Caterine first played volleyball, and Wilder Zapata, her coach, noticed her skill and suggested she play in Medellín, which had the high-profile Atanasio Girardot Sports Complex as a venue for national and international games. There, she began her training in 1996 with the Cuban coach Jorge Luis Alfaro, specializing in the high jump.

Her personal best in the high jump is 1.93 metres, achieved on 22 July 2005 in Cali, which stands as the current Colombian record. She competed at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, where she jumped 1.85 m in the qualifying round. She held the South American record in the triple jump with 15.31 m from July 2014 until September 2019. That jump remained the best jump since the Olympics in August 2008 until Yulimar Rojas achieved a mark of 15.41 m at the Jaén Paraíso Interior Meeting. On 1 September 2011, she obtained the bronze medal at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu with a 14.84 m performance. Based in Puerto Rico. Coached by Ubaldo Duany, former Cuban Long Jumper (8.32 m PB from 1986). On 5 August, she won a silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics in the triple jump competition with a 14.80 m jump on her last attempt. On 15 August 2013, she won IAAF World Championships in Moscow in the triple jump competition with a 14.85 m jump on her second attempt.

Caterine Ibargüen announced her retirement in August 2021.

Personal bests Outdoor 200 m: 24.96 s (wind: -1.2 m/s) – San Germán, 4 December 2009 800 m: 2:35.35 min – San Germán, 4 December 2010 100 m hurdles: 14.09 s (wind: +0.0 m/s) – Mayagüez, 19 February 2011 High jump: 1.93 m – Cali, 22 July 2005 Long jump: 6.93 m (wind: +0.8 m/s) – Ostrava, 9 September 2018 Triple jump: 15.31 m (wind: 0.0 m/s) – Monaco, 18 July 2014 Shot put: 13.79 m – Carolina, 20 March 2010 Javelin throw: 37.72 m – San Germán, 4 December 2010 Heptathlon: 5742 pts – San Germán, 5 December 2009

Indoor High jump: 1.81 m – Moscow, 11 March 2006

International competitions

Honours

Awards 2018 IAAF Female athlete of the year award