Caterine Ibargüen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Caterine Ibargüen

Ibargüen at the 2015 World Championships
Personal information
Full name	Caterine Ibargüen Mena
Nationality	Colombian
Born	(1984-02-12) 12 February 1984 (age 41) Apartadó, Antioquia, Colombia
Height	1.85 m
Weight	65 kg
Sport
Country	Colombia
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	High jump Long jump Triple jump Heptathlon
Coached by	Ubaldo Duany
Retired	2021
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	High jump: 1.93 (2005) Long jump: 6.93 NR (2018) Triple jump: 15.31 NR (2014) Heptathlon: 5742 (2009)
Medal record Representing  Colombia Women's athletics Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 1 0 World Championships 2 1 2 Continental Cup 3 0 0 Pan American Games 2 0 1 CAC Games 3 4 1 Bolivarian Games 5 2 0 Olympic Games Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Triple jump Silver 2012 London Triple jump World Championships Gold 2013 Moscow Triple jump Gold 2015 Beijing Triple jump Silver 2017 London Triple jump Bronze 2011 Daegu Triple jump Bronze 2019 Doha Triple jump Pan American Games Gold 2011 Guadalajara Triple jump Gold 2015 Toronto Triple jump Bronze 2011 Guadalajara Long jump Central American and Caribbean Games Gold 2014 Veracruz Triple jump Gold 2018 Barranquilla Long jump Gold 2018 Barranquilla Triple jump Silver 2002 San Salvador Triple jump Silver 2006 Cartagena High jump Silver 2006 Cartagena Long jump Silver 2010 Mayagüez Triple jump Bronze 2002 San Salvador High jump Bolivarian Games Gold 2001 Ambato High jump Gold 2005 Armenia-Pereira High jump Gold 2005 Armenia-Pereira Long jump Gold 2009 Sucre High jump Gold 2009 Sucre Long jump Silver 2005 Armenia-Pereira Triple jump Silver 2009 Sucre Triple jump CAC Junior Championships (U20) Silver 2002 Bridgetown High jump Bronze 2002 Bridgetown Triple jump Representing Americas Continental Cup Gold 2014 Marrakech Triple jump Gold 2018 Ostrava Long jump Gold 2018 Ostrava Triple jump

Caterine Ibargüen Mena is a famous retired Colombian athlete. She was born on February 12, 1984. Caterine is known for her amazing skills in high jump, long jump, and especially the triple jump.

She has won many important medals. These include a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics and a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She also won two gold medals at the World Athletics Championships. Plus, she earned two gold medals at the 2011 Pan American Games and 2015 Pan American Games.

Caterine's Early Life and Training

Caterine grew up in the Urabá region of Antioquia, Colombia. Her parents separated because of a difficult time in Colombia. So, her grandmother raised her. Her father moved to Venezuela, and her mother went to Turbo, Colombia.

Caterine first loved playing volleyball. Her coach, Wilder Zapata, saw how talented she was. He suggested she move to Medellín to train more. Medellín had great sports places like the Atanasio Girardot Sports Complex.

In 1996, she started training there with a Cuban coach named Jorge Luis Alfaro. She began to focus on the high jump.

Her Amazing Achievements in Athletics

Caterine Ibargüen became a top athlete in several events. Her best high jump was 1.93 meters in 2005. This is still the record for Colombia! She competed in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, jumping 1.85 meters.

She also held the South American record in the triple jump. She jumped 15.31 meters in 2014. This was the best jump since the 2008 Olympics for a long time. Later, another athlete, Yulimar Rojas, jumped even further.

Caterine won a bronze medal at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu in 2011. She jumped 14.84 meters in the triple jump. She trained in Puerto Rico with her coach, Ubaldo Duany. He was also a great long jumper.

Olympic and World Championship Medals

Caterine's biggest wins came in the triple jump.

• In 2012, she won a silver medal at the London Olympics. She jumped 14.80 meters on her very last try!
• In 2013, she won her first gold medal at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow. Her jump was 14.85 meters.
• She won another gold medal at the World Championships in Beijing in 2015.
• The most exciting win was her gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. She jumped 15.17 meters!
• She continued to win medals, getting a silver at the World Championships in London and a bronze at the World Championships in Doha.

Other Major Wins

Caterine also won many medals at other big competitions:

• She won gold medals at the Pan American Games in 2011 and 2015 for the triple jump. She also got a bronze in the long jump in 2011.
• At the Central American and Caribbean Games, she won three gold medals in 2014 and 2018. She also earned four silver medals and one bronze medal over the years.
• She was very successful at the Bolivarian Games, winning five gold medals and two silver medals.
• Caterine also won three gold medals at the IAAF Continental Cup in 2014 and 2018.

Caterine Ibargüen officially retired from athletics in August 2021. She left a huge mark on the sport!

Honours and Awards

•  Colombia:
  • Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit (2018) - This is a very high award from Colombia.
• In 2018, she won the IAAF Female Athlete of the Year award. This means she was recognized as the best female athlete in the world!

Images for kids

• 

  Ibargüen at the 2015 World Championships

See also

In Spanish: Caterine Ibargüen para niños