Ángel Barajas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ángel Barajas |
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Barajas in 2024
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| Full name | Ángel Gabriel Barajas Vivas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |  Colombia |
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| Born | August 12, 2006 Cúcuta, Colombia |
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| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Men's artistic gymnastics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Level | Senior International Elite | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years on national team | 2018–present (COL) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Liga Norte de Santander | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach(es) | Jairo Ruiz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Ángel Gabriel Barajas Vivas (born August 12, 2006) is an amazing artistic gymnast from Colombia. He made history by becoming the first Colombian gymnast to win an Olympic medal! He earned a silver medal on the horizontal bar at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Ángel is also a champion from the 2022 South American Youth Games. Plus, he won a silver medal in the all-around competition at the 2023 Junior World Championships.
Contents
Ángel's Early Life
Ángel Barajas was born in Cúcuta, Colombia. His parents are Angélica María Vivas and Wilson Barajas. He has two older brothers and sisters.
When Ángel was just three years old, he loved watching the TV show LazyTown. He especially enjoyed imitating Sportacus, a character who did cool handstands and backflips. This show sparked his interest in gymnastics!
Junior Gymnastics Journey
Ángel started training in gymnastics when he was five years old. He joined a local club in Cúcuta. His older brother, Jeisson, worked two jobs to help pay for Ángel's gymnastics lessons.
Since 2018, Ángel has been training with the Norte de Santander Gymnastics League. In 2019, he joined a special program called the Athletic Excellence program. This program, run by the Colombian Sports Ministry, helped him by paying a monthly salary.
Junior Success in 2021
In 2021, Ángel competed at the Junior Pan American Championships. His team, Colombia, won second place. Individually, he earned several medals:
- Bronze medals in the all-around, floor exercise, and horizontal bar.
- A gold medal on the pommel horse.
Junior Success in 2022
In April 2022, Ángel took part in the South American Youth Games. He led the Colombian team to a gold medal. He was amazing, winning gold in six out of seven individual events! He only missed out on a gold medal for the rings.
Later, in July, he competed at the Pan American Championships. His team finished fourth. Individually, he won:
- Gold on the horizontal bar.
- Silver in the all-around, floor exercise, and vault.
- Bronze on parallel bars.
Junior Success in 2023
In March 2023, Ángel competed at the second Junior World Championships. He was the only male gymnast representing Colombia. He did incredibly well, qualifying for the all-around final in first place! He also made it to the finals for floor exercise, parallel bars, and horizontal bar.
In the all-around final, he won a silver medal. In the individual event finals, Ángel won:
- Gold medals on floor exercise and parallel bars.
- A bronze medal on horizontal bar.
He left Antalya with four medals, making him the most decorated athlete at the championships!
Becoming a Senior Gymnast
In 2024, Ángel became old enough to compete in senior-level competitions. This means he was now competing against the best adult gymnasts in the world.
Senior Debut and Olympic Glory in 2024
Ángel made his senior debut at the Cairo World Cup in February. He reached the finals for parallel bars and horizontal bar. He won a bronze medal on the horizontal bar. After the World Cup series, Ángel earned a spot to compete individually at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris!
At the Olympic Games, Ángel competed on the parallel bars and horizontal bar. In the qualification rounds, he earned a spot in the horizontal bar final. On the final day of artistic gymnastics, Ángel scored 14.533 on the horizontal bar. This was the highest score of the day! However, he lost a tie-breaker based on his "execution score" to Shinnosuke Oka. This meant Ángel earned the silver medal. This amazing achievement made Ángel the first Colombian gymnast ever to win an Olympic medal!
After winning his Olympic silver medal, Ángel was given a full scholarship to attend the University of Santander. He also received an apartment in Cúcuta.
Ángel's Competition History
| Year | Event | Team | AA | FX | PH | SR | VT | PB | HB |
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| Junior | |||||||||
| 2018 | Colombian Championships |  |
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| 2019 | Colombian Championships (senior) | 6 | 4 | ||||||
| 2021 | |||||||||
| Pan American Championships |  |
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| South American Championships | |
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| 2022 | South American Youth Games | |
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4 | |
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| Pan American Championships | 4 | |
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| 2023 | |||||||||
| Junior World Championships | |
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| Senior | |||||||||
| 2024 | Cairo World Cup | 8 | |
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| Cottbus World Cup | 4 | ||||||||
| Baku World Cup | |
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| Doha World Cup | 4 | ||||||||
| Olympic Games | 14 | |
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See also
In Spanish: Ángel Barajas para niños
