Colombia at the Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Colombia at the Olympics
IOC code	COL
NOC	Colombian Olympic Committee
Website
Medals Ranked 71st	Gold Silver Bronze Total 5 16 17 38
Summer appearances
1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Winter appearances
2010 2014 2018

Colombia first joined the Olympic Games in 1932. Since then, Colombian athletes have competed in almost every Summer Olympic Games. They only missed the 1952 Games.

Colombian athletes have won 38 Olympic medals in total. This includes five gold, sixteen silver, and seventeen bronze medals. Their most successful sports are weightlifting and cycling. Colombia is the third most successful South American country at the Olympics, after Brazil and Argentina. The Colombian Olympic Committee was started in 1936 and officially recognized in 1948.

The first Olympic medal for Colombia was a silver, won by shooter Helmut Bellingrodt in 1972. Weightlifter María Isabel Urrutia became the first Colombian to win a gold medal in 2000. BMX rider Mariana Pajón is Colombia's most successful Olympian. She has won two gold medals and one silver.

Colombia's Olympic Journey

Early Years and First Steps

Colombian team at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games

A Colombian, Francisco Henríquez de Zubiría, competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics. He lived in Paris and played for a French team in tug-of-war. The Olympic Committee now lists his team as mixed, winning a silver medal.

Colombia officially sent a team to the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Only one athlete, Jorge Perry, represented the country. Perry wrote to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1932. He explained that Colombia was a small South American country wanting to join the Olympic movement. The IOC accepted his request and even offered help.

On July 30, 1932, Perry marched in the opening ceremony. He represented a country not yet officially linked to the IOC. He competed in the marathon but could not finish. Fourteen years later, in 1946, Jorge Perry passed away in Bogotá.

For the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, the Colombian Olympic Committee was already formed. Five athletes went to compete. The Colombian team left the Olympic Village to support the Peruvian team. This happened after a controversial decision in a football match.

After World War II, the 1948 Summer Olympics were held in London. For the first time, Colombia sent athletes in sports other than track and field. They competed in fencing and swimming. Due to money problems and a difficult time in the country, Colombia did not go to the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.

For the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, the Colombian team grew to 26 athletes. They sent cyclists and weightlifters for the first time. Colombian athletes have continued to participate in every Summer Olympics since then. Female athletes joined the team for the first time at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.

First Medals and Historic Wins

Colombia won its first Olympic medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. This was 40 years after their first appearance. Shooter Helmut Bellingrodt won a silver medal. Boxers Clemente Rojas and Alfonso Pérez each won a bronze medal. This brought Colombia's total to three medals.

Colombia did not join the boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The president of the Colombian Olympic Committee allowed 23 Colombian athletes to participate. They did not win any medals there.

At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, shooter Helmut Bellingrodt won his second silver medal. He became the first Colombian athlete to win two Olympic medals. This was the only medal Colombia won at those Games.

In the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, boxer Jorge Eliécer Julio won a bronze medal. He reached the semifinals in his category. Ximena Restrepo became the first Colombian woman to win an Olympic medal. She won a bronze in the women's 400 meters at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Her time of 49.64 seconds is still a South American record.

Colombia did not win a medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. However, marathon runner Carlos Grisales finished eleventh. This was the highest a Colombian athlete had ever placed in an Olympic marathon.

Four years later, at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the story changed. Weightlifter María Isabel Urrutia won Colombia's first Olympic gold medal. She lifted the same weight as her rivals. But she won gold because she weighed less than them.

Continued Success and New Sports

When the Olympic Games returned to Greece in Athens 2004, Colombia won two bronze medals. Weightlifter Mabel Mosquera and cyclist María Luisa Calle earned these. Calle's medal was Colombia's first in cycling. She was first stripped of her medal after a doping test. But it was later returned, which is rare.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Colombia won two medals. Weightlifter Diego Salazar won silver. Jackeline Rentería won Colombia's first Olympic medal in wrestling, a bronze. In 2016, it was found that two medalists from the 2008 weightlifting event failed doping tests. Leydi Solís, who finished fourth, was then given a silver medal in December 2017.

Colombia made its first appearance at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver 2010. Skier Cynthia Denzler represented the country.

For the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Colombia sent its largest team ever, with 104 athletes. The team's performance was amazing. Colombia won eight medals in six different sports. BMX rider Mariana Pajón won Colombia's first gold medal since 2000. Cyclist Rigoberto Urán won silver, the first road cycling medal for the country. Track and field athlete Caterine Ibargüen won silver in triple jump. Weightlifter Óscar Figueroa also won silver and set an Olympic record. Jackeline Rentería won another bronze medal, becoming one of the few Colombians with two Olympic medals. Carlos Oquendo won bronze in men's BMX. Yuri Alvear won bronze in judo, and Óscar Muñoz won bronze in taekwondo. These were the first Olympic medals for Colombia in those sports.

The great performance continued at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Colombian athletes won three gold, two silver, and three bronze medals, totaling eight medals again. Triple jump world champion Caterine Ibargüen won a gold medal. This was Colombia's first gold in athletics. Óscar Figueroa won gold in weightlifting, becoming the first male Olympic champion for Colombia. Mariana Pajón won her second Olympic gold medal in BMX. Judoka Yuri Alvear won silver, improving her 2012 bronze. Ibargüen, Figueroa, Pajón, and Alvear joined Bellingrodt and Rentería as multiple Olympic medalists. Boxers Yuberjen Martínez (silver) and Ingrit Valencia (bronze) won Colombia's first boxing medals since 1988. Valencia was the first Colombian female boxer to win an Olympic medal. BMX rider Carlos Ramírez won bronze. Weightlifter Luis Javier Mosquera was later awarded a bronze medal after another athlete was disqualified for doping.

After an eight-year break, Colombia competed again at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang 2018. The team competed in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and ice speed skating. Colombia became the first Latin American country to compete in ice speed skating.

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Colombia won four silver and one bronze medal. Mariana Pajón added a silver medal to her two golds. This made her the first Colombian athlete to win three Olympic medals. Sandra Arenas became the first race walker from Colombia to win an Olympic medal, earning silver.

Olympic Medal Count

Medals by Summer Games

Colombia's performance at the Summer Olympic Games over the years.

Games	Athletes	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1932 Los Angeles	1	0	0	0	0	–
1936 Berlin	5	0	0	0	0	–
1948 London	5	0	0	0	0	–
1952 Helsinki	did not participate
1956 Melbourne	26	0	0	0	0	–
1960 Rome	16	0	0	0	0	–
1964 Tokyo	20	0	0	0	0	–
1968 Mexico City	44	0	0	0	0	–
1972 Munich	59	0	1	2	3	31
1976 Montreal	35	0	0	0	0	–
1980 Moscow	23	0	0	0	0	–
1984 Los Angeles	39	0	1	0	1	33
1988 Seoul	40	0	0	1	1	46
1992 Barcelona	49	0	0	1	1	54
1996 Atlanta	48	0	0	0	0	–
2000 Sydney	44	1	0	0	1	50
2004 Athens	53	0	0	2	2	68
2008 Beijing	67	0	2	1	3	60
2012 London	104	1	3	5	9	38
2016 Rio de Janeiro	147	3	2	3	8	22
2020 Tokyo	70	0	4	1	5	66
2024 Paris	87	0	3	1	4	66
2028 Los Angeles
Total		5	16	17	38	71

Medals by Winter Games

Colombia's participation and medals at the Winter Olympic Games.

Games	Athletes	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
2010 Vancouver	1	0	0	0	0	–
2014 Sochi	did not participate
2018 Pyeongchang	4	0	0	0	0	–
2022 Beijing	3	0	0	0	0	–
2026 Milan/Cortina	future event
Total		0	0	0	0	–

Medals by Summer Sport

How many medals Colombia has won in different summer sports.

Sports	1 Gold	2 Silver	3 Bronze	Total	Rank
Weightlifting	2	6	3	11	24
Cycling	2	2	4	8	20
Athletics	1	3	1	5	58
Shooting	0	2	0	2	55
Boxing	0	1	4	5	55
Judo	0	1	1	2	42
Gymnastics	0	1	0	1	45
Wrestling	0	0	3	3	62
Taekwondo	0	0	1	1	39
Total	5	16	17	38	71

Medals by Gender

How many medals have been won by men and women athletes.

Gender	1 Gold	2 Silver	3 Bronze	Total
Men	1	10	8	19
Women	4	6	9	19
Mixed	0	0	0	0
Total	5	16	17	38

List of Medalists

A list of all Colombian athletes who have won Olympic medals.

Medal	Name	Games	Sport	Event
2 Silver	Helmut Bellingrodt	1972 Munich	Shooting	50 metre running target
3 Bronze	Clemente Rojas		Boxing	Men's featherweight
3 Bronze	Alfonso Pérez		Boxing	Men's lightweight
2 Silver	Helmut Bellingrodt	1984 Los Angeles	Shooting	50 metre running target
3 Bronze	Jorge Eliécer Julio	1988 Seoul	Boxing	Men's bantamweight
3 Bronze	Ximena Restrepo	1992 Barcelona	Athletics	Women's 400 metres
1 Gold	María Isabel Urrutia	2000 Sydney	Weightlifting	Women's 75 kg
3 Bronze	María Luisa Calle	2004 Athens	Cycling	Women's points race
3 Bronze	Mabel Mosquera		Weightlifting	Women's 53 kg
2 Silver	Diego Salazar	2008 Beijing	Weightlifting	Men's 62 kg
2 Silver	Leydi Solís		Weightlifting	Women's 69 kg
3 Bronze	Jackeline Rentería		Wrestling	Women's freestyle 55 kg
1 Gold	Mariana Pajón	2012 London	Cycling	Women's BMX
2 Silver	Caterine Ibargüen		Athletics	Women's triple jump
2 Silver	Rigoberto Urán		Cycling	Men's road race
2 Silver	Óscar Figueroa		Weightlifting	Men's 62 kg
3 Bronze	Carlos Oquendo		Cycling	Men's BMX
3 Bronze	Yuri Alvear		Judo	Women's 70 kg
3 Bronze	Óscar Muñoz		Taekwondo	Men's 58 kg
3 Bronze	Ubaldina Valoyes		Weightlifting	Women's 69 kg
3 Bronze	Jackeline Rentería		Wrestling	Women's freestyle 55 kg
1 Gold	Caterine Ibargüen	2016 Rio de Janeiro	Athletics	Women's triple jump
1 Gold	Mariana Pajón		Cycling	Women's BMX
1 Gold	Óscar Figueroa		Weightlifting	Men's 62 kg
2 Silver	Yuberjen Martínez		Boxing	Men's light flyweight
2 Silver	Yuri Alvear		Judo	Women's 70 kg
3 Bronze	Ingrit Valencia		Boxing	Women's flyweight
3 Bronze	Carlos Ramírez		Cycling	Men's BMX
3 Bronze	Luis Javier Mosquera		Weightlifting	Men's 69 kg
2 Silver	Luis Javier Mosquera	2020 Tokyo	Weightlifting	Men's 67 kg
2 Silver	Mariana Pajón		Cycling	Women's BMX
2 Silver	Anthony Zambrano		Athletics	Men's 400 metres
2 Silver	Sandra Arenas		Athletics	Women's 20 kilometres walk
3 Bronze	Carlos Ramírez		Cycling	Men's BMX
2 Silver	Ángel Barajas	2024 Paris	Gymnastics	Men's horizontal bar
2 Silver	Yeison López		Weightlifting	Men's 89 kg
2 Silver	Mari Sánchez		Weightlifting	Women's 71 kg
3 Bronze	Tatiana Rentería		Wrestling	Women's freestyle 76 kg

Top Colombian Medalists

Athletes who have won more than one Olympic medal for Colombia.

Images for kids

• 

  Colombian Olympic medalists of 2012, being greeted in Bogotá. From left to right: Óscar Figueroa, Caterine Ibargüen, Mariana Pajón and Carlos Oquendo

• 

  Yuri Alvear and Óscar Muñoz

See Also

• Category:Olympic competitors for Colombia
• Tropical nations at the Winter Olympics
• Colombia at the Paralympics
• Colombia at the Youth Olympics
• List of flag bearers for Colombia at the Olympics