Mariana Pajón
![]() Pajón in 2013 | |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Mariana Pajón Londoño |
Nickname | "Tata", "Queen of BMX" |
Born | Medellín, Colombia | 10 October 1991
Height | 1.58 m (5 ft 2 in)[1] |
Weight | 53 kg (117 lb)[1] |
Team information | |
Discipline | Bicycle Motocross (BMX) |
Role | Rider |
Medal record |
Mariana Pajón Londoño ODB (born 10 October 1991) is a Colombian cyclist, two-time Olympic gold medalist and BMX World Champion.[2]
She won her first national title at age of 5 and her first world title at 9. Overall, she is the winner of 14 world championships, 2 national championships in the United States, 9 Latin American Championships and 10 Pan American championships. She also won the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, on 10 August 2012, as well as in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. She is the first Colombian to win two Olympic gold medals. Pajón's achievements in BMX have earned her the nickname "Queen of BMX".[1]
She was selected to be the flag-bearer for Colombia at the 2012 Summer Olympics at the Opening Ceremony.
BMX Olympic champion[]
London 2012[]
After being the flag-bearer for Colombia during the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics, Pajón's first participation in the BMX event resulted in the first gold medal for Colombia during the 2012 games and the second overall in Colombia's participation in the Olympics.[1]
After achieving a splendid 1st position in all three runs of the Semifinals, Pajón won with a time of 37.706 seconds during the final.[3]
Rio 2016[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Rio_2016._Ciclismo_BMX-BMX_Cycling_%2829016608602%29.jpg/220px-Rio_2016._Ciclismo_BMX-BMX_Cycling_%2829016608602%29.jpg)
In the 2016 Olympic Games Pajón defended her title and won her second Olympic gold medal and fifth overall for Colombia. With this victory, Pajón became the first Colombian athlete to win two gold medals.
Tokyo 2020[]
In the 2020 Summer Olympics Pajón won silver.[4]
Personal life[]
Mariana Pajón Londoño was born in Medellín, Colombia, on October 10, 1991, daughter of Carlos Mario Pajón and Claudia Londoño, who were also athletes in their youth (her father practiced motoring and her mother riding). She studied at the Sacred Heart Montemayor Catholic school in Rionegro, near to Medellín.
Mariana learned to ride a bicycle when she was three years old. When she was four she began to perform her first training on the track, and had her first race, in which she competed against children of five and six years-of-age since there was no suitable category.
She was invited to the Youth Camp held during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. On June 1, 2008, Mariana won the UCI BMX World Championship 2008, held in Taiyuan, China, in Junior Women's Cruiser category. On the international tracks, the nickname of the atomic ant was won by its particular way of running, with explosion, rudeness and aggressiveness.
Pajón married fellow BMX rider Vincent Pelluard on December 16, 2017[5] after dating for 4 years.[6] Pelluard acquired Colombian citizenship through his marriage with Pajón and now represents Colombia on the international scene.[7]
Awards[]
Olympics[]
- London 2012
Olympic gold medal, Women's BMX
- Rio de Janeiro 2016
Olympic gold medal, Women's BMX (First Colombian to achieve 2 gold medals at the Olympic Games)
- Tokyo 2020
Olympic silver medal, Women's BMX
Pan American Games[]
- Guadalajara 2011
Pan American Gold Medal, Women's BMX
- Lima 2019
Pan American Gold Medal, Women's BMX
World Championships[]
- Taiyuan 2008
World Champion, Junior Women Cruiser
- Adelaide 2009
World Champion, Junior Women
World Champion, Junior Women Cruiser
- Pietermaritzburg 2010
World Champion, Elite Women Cruiser
- Copenhagen 2011
World Champion, Elite Women
Bronze Medal, Elite Women's Time Trial
- Birmingham 2012
- Fifth position, Elite Women
- Auckland 2013
Gold Medal, Elite Women's Time Trial
- Rotterdam 2014
World Champion, Elite Women
Bronze Medal, Elite Women's Time Trial
- Medellín 2016
World Champion, Elite Women
Bronze Medal, Elite Women's Time Trial
- Rock Hill 2017
Bronze Medal, Elite Women
References[]
- ^ a b c d Mariana Pajon. london2012.com
- ^ Valledupar Noticias: Mariana Pajón gana Medalla de Oro para Colombia en los Juegos Olimpicos de Londres. valleduparnoticias.co (10 August 2012)
- ^ With David Beckham watching, Mariana Pajon wins women’s BMX gold at the London Olympics. The Associated Press (10 August 2012)
- ^ "Cycling BMX Racing Schedule & Results - 30 Jul | Tokyo 2020". .. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Mariana Pajon & Vincent Pelluard wedding".
- ^ "El francés que tiene enamorada a Mariana Pajón".
- ^ "A un mes de Tokio 2021, Colombia completa 55 clasificados". 22 June 2021.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mariana Pajón. |
- BMX riders
- Living people
- 1991 births
- Colombian female cyclists
- Olympic cyclists of Colombia
- Olympic gold medalists for Colombia
- Cyclists at the 2011 Pan American Games
- Cyclists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Cyclists at the 2015 Pan American Games
- Cyclists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Cyclists at the 2019 Pan American Games
- Olympic medalists in cycling
- Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Sportspeople from Medellín
- UCI BMX World Champions (elite women)
- Pan American Games gold medalists for Colombia
- Pan American Games medalists in cycling
- South American Games gold medalists for Colombia
- South American Games medalists in cycling
- Competitors at the 2010 South American Games
- Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 2019 Pan American Games
- Cyclists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- Olympic silver medalists for Colombia