Princesa Oliveros
Encyclopedia
María Princesa Oliveros Bohórquez (born 10 August 1975) is a Colombia
n track and field
athlete who competes in the 100 metres hurdles
and 400 metres hurdles
events. Her personal bests are 13.41 seconds and 56.26 seconds, respectively. She was the gold medal
list in the 400 m hurdles at the 2011 Pan American Games
, at which she also won a 4×400 metres relay bronze medal in a Colombian record
time.
She has won numerous hurdles medals at the South American Championships in Athletics
and has reached the podium at the competition in seven different years (from 1999 to 2011, with the exception of 2007). At regional level, she has been a hurdles medallist at the Central American and Caribbean Championships and CAC Games
, as well as being a six-time champion at the Bolivarian Games
.
, Atlántico Department
and raised in Turbo, Antioquia, she initially took an interest in volleyball
. She showed an aptitude for hurdling
at an inter-school meeting in 1991, but remained more interested in the ball game and represented her municipality in the sport. By the time she went to university, however, she had not grown tall enough to be a professional volleyball player and decided to use her athletic speed for the 400 m hurdles instead. Having come from a poor family, her mother encouraged her to focus on her science studies rather than sport, but Oliveros combined the two as a student-athlete and she developed into a regional-class hurdler.
Oliveros won her first national title in the 100 metres hurdles
in 1997 and won her first international medals soon after, taking both the 100 and 400 m hurdles titles as well as the 4×400 metres relay title at the 1997 Bolivarian Games
. At the 1999 South American Championships in Athletics
n the Colombian capital of Bogotá
she won bronze medal
s in both the hurdles events. She won the 400 m hurdles silver medal
at the 2001 edition
of the competition, but just missed out on the 100 m hurdles medal by coming fourth. She headed overseas for the 2001 Summer Universiade
in Beijing
and was a double semi-finalist in the hurdles (including personal bests of 13.46 seconds and 57.19 seconds for the events). She ended the year by retaining all three of her titles at the 2001 Bolivarian Games
.
. She was a double bronze medallist at the 2003 South American Championships in Athletics
and also competed in the heats at the 2003 Pan American Games
. A 100 m hurdles bronze at the 2004 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics
was her sole highlight in the following year.
In 2005, she was the 100 m hurdles runner-up at the South American Championships
, where she was fourth in the longer race. In her third consecutive appearance at the 2005 Bolivarian Games
, she missed out on defending her hurdles titles as fellow Colombian Brigith Merlano beat her in the 100 m final while Ecuador's Lucy Jaramillo edged her into second place in the 400 m hurdles. Oliveros had a trio of fifth places in the hurdles and relay events at the 2006 CAC Games
. She was fifth again in the 400 m at the 2006 South American Championships
, although she left that competition with a silver medal from the 4×400 m relay.
in Cali, Colombia with a run of 57.44 seconds. She also helped the relay team to fourth place in the final. She began to increasingly focus on the 400 m hurdles at championship events and (following two doping disqualifications) she won a bronze medal at the 2009 South American Championships
and a silver at the 2009 Bolivarian Games
later that year. In 2010, she competed sparingly, but managed to win the Colombian 400 m hurdles title.
At the age of 35, Oliveros reached the form of her life in the 2011 season. In Medellín
she ran a 100 m hurdles best of 13.41 seconds on 30 April, then ran 57.43 seconds for the 400 m hurdles the following day (the third best run of her career at that point). She was twice runner-up to Brazil's Jailma de Lima at the 2011 South American Championships
, first in the 400 m hurdles and then in the 400 m relay. A month later she was a 400 m hurdles finalist at the 2011 CAC Championships
, coming sixth in the competition. Her won the first major title of her career at the 2011 Pan American Games
: running at altitude in Guadalajara
, she improved her personal best by almost a second to take the 400 m hurdles gold medal
in a time of 56.26 seconds. She then teamed up with Norma González, Evelis Aguilar and (400 m winner) Jennifer Padilla
for the 4×400 m relay and the Colombians received the bronze medal with a Colombian national record
time of 3:29.94 minutes.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete who competes in the 100 metres hurdles
100 metres hurdles
The 100 m hurdles are an Olympic track and field athletics discipline run by women . For the race ten hurdles of a height of 83.8 cm are placed evenly spaced along a straight course of 100 meters. They are positioned so that they will fall over if bumped into by the runner...
and 400 metres hurdles
400 metres hurdles
The 400 metres hurdles is an Olympic athletics event in track and field. On a standard outdoor track 400 metres is the length of the inside lane once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lane the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly...
events. Her personal bests are 13.41 seconds and 56.26 seconds, respectively. She was the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
list in the 400 m hurdles at the 2011 Pan American Games
2011 Pan American Games
The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, Puerto Vallarta, Lagos de Moreno and Tapalpa...
, at which she also won a 4×400 metres relay bronze medal in a Colombian record
Colombian records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in Colombia maintained by its national athletics federation: Federación Colombiana de Atletismo .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:A = affected by altitude# = not officially ratified by IAAF...
time.
She has won numerous hurdles medals at the South American Championships in Athletics
South American Championships in Athletics
The South American Championships in Athletics is a biennial athletics event organized by CONSUDATLE. The first edition in 1919 was competed between only two countries , but it has since expanded and has generally been held every two years since 1927.In addition, 8 unofficial championships were held...
and has reached the podium at the competition in seven different years (from 1999 to 2011, with the exception of 2007). At regional level, she has been a hurdles medallist at the Central American and Caribbean Championships and CAC Games
Central American and Caribbean Games
The Central American and Caribbean Games are a multi-sport regional championships event, held quadrennial , typically in the middle year between Summer Olympics...
, as well as being a six-time champion at the Bolivarian Games
Bolivarian Games
The Bolivarian Games are a regional multi-sport event held in honor of Simón Bolívar, and organized by the Bolivarian Sports Organization...
.
Early life
Born in LuruacoLuruaco
Luruaco is a municipality and town in the Colombian department of Atlántico.-External links:...
, Atlántico Department
Atlántico Department
Atlántico is a department of Colombia, located in northern Colombia with the Caribbean sea to its north, the Bolívar Department to its south, and the Magdalena Department to its east separated by the Magdalena River...
and raised in Turbo, Antioquia, she initially took an interest in volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. She showed an aptitude for hurdling
Hurdling
Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...
at an inter-school meeting in 1991, but remained more interested in the ball game and represented her municipality in the sport. By the time she went to university, however, she had not grown tall enough to be a professional volleyball player and decided to use her athletic speed for the 400 m hurdles instead. Having come from a poor family, her mother encouraged her to focus on her science studies rather than sport, but Oliveros combined the two as a student-athlete and she developed into a regional-class hurdler.
Oliveros won her first national title in the 100 metres hurdles
100 metres hurdles
The 100 m hurdles are an Olympic track and field athletics discipline run by women . For the race ten hurdles of a height of 83.8 cm are placed evenly spaced along a straight course of 100 meters. They are positioned so that they will fall over if bumped into by the runner...
in 1997 and won her first international medals soon after, taking both the 100 and 400 m hurdles titles as well as the 4×400 metres relay title at the 1997 Bolivarian Games
1997 Bolivarian Games
The XIII Bolivarian Games were a multi-sport event held in 1997 in Arequipa, Peru. The Games were organized by the Bolivarian Sports Organization .-Medal count:...
. At the 1999 South American Championships in Athletics
1999 South American Championships in Athletics
The 1999 South American Championships in Athletics were held at the Coliseo El Salitre in Bogotá, Colombia from June 25-27.-Men's events:-Women's events:A = affected by altitude-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics* - GBR Athletics...
n the Colombian capital of Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
she won bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
s in both the hurdles events. She won the 400 m hurdles silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
at the 2001 edition
2001 South American Championships in Athletics
The 2001 South American Championships in Athletics were held at the Vila Olímpica in Manaus, Brazil, from May 18-20.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics* - GBR Athletics...
of the competition, but just missed out on the 100 m hurdles medal by coming fourth. She headed overseas for the 2001 Summer Universiade
Athletics at the 2001 Summer Universiade
At the 2001 Summer Universiade, the athletics events were held in Beijing, People's Republic of China. A total of 45 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 22 by female athletes. The host country, China, took the most gold medals and the most medals overall . The United States were a close...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
and was a double semi-finalist in the hurdles (including personal bests of 13.46 seconds and 57.19 seconds for the events). She ended the year by retaining all three of her titles at the 2001 Bolivarian Games
2001 Bolivarian Games
The XIV Bolivarian Games were a multi-sport event held in 2001 in Ambato, Ecuador. The Games were organized by the Bolivarian Sports Organization .-Medal count:...
.
Regional hurdles medals
She had a national winning streak in the hurdles, winning both events three times in succession from 2002 to 2004, then again in 2006. The 2002 season saw her win further international medals in the hurdles: she won 400 m silver and 100 m bronze at the 2002 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics, then reversed those placings for two more medals at the 2002 Central American and Caribbean GamesAthletics at the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games
The track and field competition at the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games was held in San Salvador, El Salvador.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-References:* - GBR Athletics* - GBR Athletics...
. She was a double bronze medallist at the 2003 South American Championships in Athletics
2003 South American Championships in Athletics
The 2003 South American Championships in Athletics were held from June 20 to June 22 at the Polideportivo Máximo Viloria in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. Detailed day-by-day reports can be found on the IAAF website.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:...
and also competed in the heats at the 2003 Pan American Games
Athletics at the 2003 Pan American Games
The athletics competition at the 2003 Pan American Games was held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from Tuesday August 5 to Saturday August 9, 2003...
. A 100 m hurdles bronze at the 2004 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics
2004 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics
The 2004 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics took place on Estadio Iberoamericano in Huelva, Spain on 6–8 August 2004. A record high of 27 nations took part while the number of participating athletes was the second highest in the competition's history after the 1992 edition...
was her sole highlight in the following year.
In 2005, she was the 100 m hurdles runner-up at the South American Championships
2005 South American Championships in Athletics
The 2005 South American Championships in Athletics were held at the Estadio Pascual Guerrero in Cali, Colombia from July 21 to July 24, 2005. Detailed day-by-day reports can be found on the IAAF website.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:...
, where she was fourth in the longer race. In her third consecutive appearance at the 2005 Bolivarian Games
2005 Bolivarian Games
The XV Bolivarian Games were a multi-sport event held between 12–21 August 2005 in Armenia and Pereira, Colombia. The Games were organized by the Bolivarian Sports Organization .-Sports: Billiards * Racquetball...
, she missed out on defending her hurdles titles as fellow Colombian Brigith Merlano beat her in the 100 m final while Ecuador's Lucy Jaramillo edged her into second place in the 400 m hurdles. Oliveros had a trio of fifth places in the hurdles and relay events at the 2006 CAC Games
2006 Central American and Caribbean Games
The 20th edition of the Central American and Caribbean Games was held in the city of Cartagena, Colombia. The tournament began on July 15 and ended on July 30.-Host City:*Main**Cartagena de Indias*Other host cities...
. She was fifth again in the 400 m at the 2006 South American Championships
2006 South American Championships in Athletics
The 2006 South American Championships in Athletics were held at the Estadio La Independencia in Tunja, Colombia from 29 September to 1 October. The competition represented a departure from the traditional biennial cycle of the championships, a decision taken partly as a response to the lack of...
, although she left that competition with a silver medal from the 4×400 m relay.
Pan American gold medal
After a low-key 2007, the 32-year-old Oliveros ran her fastest 400 m hurdles time in almost five years to claim the silver medal 2008 CAC Championships2008 Central American and Caribbean Championships
The 2008 Central American and Caribbean Championships were held at the Estadio Pedro Grajales in Cali, Colombia between 4–6 July 2008. A total of 44 events were contested, of which 22 by male and 22 by female athletes. During the three-day competition, six championship records were broken...
in Cali, Colombia with a run of 57.44 seconds. She also helped the relay team to fourth place in the final. She began to increasingly focus on the 400 m hurdles at championship events and (following two doping disqualifications) she won a bronze medal at the 2009 South American Championships
2009 South American Championships in Athletics
The 2009 South American Championships in Athletics was the forty sixth edition of the tournament and was held between 19 and 21 June in Lima, Peru....
and a silver at the 2009 Bolivarian Games
2009 Bolivarian Games
The XVI Bolivarian Games were a multi-sport event held in 2009 in Sucre, Bolivia. The competitions in Sucre took place from 15–26 November. A number of Bolivian cities hosted some of the sporting events, including Cochabamba, Santa Cruz and Tarija. Also, events were held outside of Bolivia, with...
later that year. In 2010, she competed sparingly, but managed to win the Colombian 400 m hurdles title.
At the age of 35, Oliveros reached the form of her life in the 2011 season. In Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
she ran a 100 m hurdles best of 13.41 seconds on 30 April, then ran 57.43 seconds for the 400 m hurdles the following day (the third best run of her career at that point). She was twice runner-up to Brazil's Jailma de Lima at the 2011 South American Championships
2011 South American Championships in Athletics
The 2011 South American Championships in Athletics were the 47th edition of the South American Championships, organised under the supervision of the CONSUDATLE. They were held at the National Center of High Performance Athletics in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 2 to 5 June 2011...
, first in the 400 m hurdles and then in the 400 m relay. A month later she was a 400 m hurdles finalist at the 2011 CAC Championships
2011 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics
The 2011 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics were held in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. The event served as classifiers for the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and took place from July 15–17, 2011...
, coming sixth in the competition. Her won the first major title of her career at the 2011 Pan American Games
Athletics at the 2011 Pan American Games
Athletics competitions at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara was held from October 23 to October 30 at the newly built Telmex Athletics Stadium. The racewalking and marathon events were held on the temporary Guadalajara Circuit and Route and the Pan American Marathon circuit respectively...
: running at altitude in Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
, she improved her personal best by almost a second to take the 400 m hurdles gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in a time of 56.26 seconds. She then teamed up with Norma González, Evelis Aguilar and (400 m winner) Jennifer Padilla
Jennifer Padilla
Jennifer Padilla González is a Colombian track and field athlete who competes in the 200 metres and 400 metres sprint events. She won the 400 m title at the 2011 Pan American Games as well as two bronze medals in the relay for Colombia...
for the 4×400 m relay and the Colombians received the bronze medal with a Colombian national record
Colombian records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in Colombia maintained by its national athletics federation: Federación Colombiana de Atletismo .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:A = affected by altitude# = not officially ratified by IAAF...
time of 3:29.94 minutes.