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Madeline de Jesús

b. 1957

Puerto Rican Olympic long-jump competitor

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About Madeline de Jesús

Born 1957. Madeline de Jesús is an American athletics competitor.

Madeline de Jesús (born November 4, 1957) is a Puerto Rican former track and field athlete who specialized in the long jump. She won a bronze medal at the 1982 Central American and Caribbean Games and went on to represent Puerto Rico globally, competing in the long jump at both the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics.

De Jesús is most famously remembered for orchestrating a notorious twin-switching scandal at the 1984 Olympic Games. After suffering an injury during her individual long jump event, she realized she could not compete in the 4 × 400-meter relay and secretly enlisted her identical twin sister, Margaret, to run the qualifying heat as an imposter. Although the team successfully advanced, the Puerto Rican head coach discovered the deception and withdrew the squad from the final.

Career He was born on 4 November 1957.

He competed in the long jump at the 1982 Central American and Caribbean Games. He won the bronze medal with a jump of 6.47 m, losing to Eloína Echevarría, who reached 6.53 m, and Shonel Ferguson, who reached 6.47 m. She competed in two Olympics, in the finishing in position 21st in round 1 of two rounds and in 1988 Summer Olympics, finishing in position 23rd in round 1 of two rounds.

Olympic cheating After Puerto Rico's Madeline de Jesus got injured while competing in the long jump, she was unable to run in the 4×400-meter relay at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. She came up with a plan and enlisted her identical twin sister, Margaret, as an imposter for a qualifying heat. Margaret ran the second leg of the qualifier, and the team advanced but when the chief coach of the Puerto Rican team learned of the ruse, he pulled his team out of the final.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Also known as
Madeline de Jesus

People in Madeline de Jesús's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Madeline de Jesús's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Madeline de Jesús?

Puerto Rican Olympic long-jump competitor

When was Madeline de Jesús born?

Madeline de Jesús was born on 4 November 1957.

What is Madeline de Jesús's occupation?

Madeline de Jesús is an athletics competitor.

What nationality is Madeline de Jesús?

Madeline de Jesús is American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Madeline de Jesús

· Wikidata: Q6727059

· DBpedia: Madeline de Jesús

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Madeline de Jesús. https://biography.guide/madeline-de-jesus/

MLA: "Madeline de Jesús." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/madeline-de-jesus/.

Chicago: "Madeline de Jesús." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/madeline-de-jesus/.

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