Mariana_Pajón_Londoño

Mariana Pajón

Mariana Pajón

Colombian cyclist (born 1991)

Mariana Pajón Londoño ODB OLY (born 10 October 1991) is a Colombian cyclist, two-time Olympic gold medalist and BMX World Champion.[2]

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Pajón and the second or maternal family name is Londoño.
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She won her first national title aged 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]

Named Colombian Athlete of the Year in 2011, a BMX circuit built in Medellin was named for her, and was the venue where she won the 2016 BMX World Championships.[3][4]

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.[5]

Rio 2016

Mariana Pajón won Olympic Gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics

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.[6]

Personal life

Mariana Pajón Londoño was born in Medellín, Colombia, on 10 October 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 1 June 2008, Mariana won the UCI BMX World Championship 2008, held in Taiyuan, China, in Junior Women's Cruiser category.

Pajón married fellow BMX rider Vincent Pelluard on 16 December 2017[7] after dating for 4 years.[8] Pelluard acquired Colombian citizenship through his marriage with Pajón and now represents Colombia on the international scene.[9]

She was awarded the Colombian Order of Boyacá.[4]

Awards

Olympics

  • London 2012
    • 1st place, gold medalist(s) Olympic gold medal, Women's BMX
  • Rio de Janeiro 2016
    • 1st place, gold medalist(s) Olympic gold medal, Women's BMX (First Colombian to achieve 2 gold medals at the Olympic Games)
  • Tokyo 2020
    • 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Olympic silver medal, Women's BMX

Pan American Games

World Championships

References

  1. [1]
    "Mariana Pajon". London 2012 Olympics. London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013.
  2. [2]
    Valledupar Noticias: Mariana Pajón gana Medalla de Oro para Colombia en los Juegos Olimpicos de Londres. valleduparnoticias.co (10 August 2012)
  3. [3]
    "Mariana Pajón". Red Bull. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  4. [4]
    Goh, Z. K. (10 May 2021). "Mariana Pajón: Six things to know about "Queen of BMX" aiming for third gold at Tokyo 2020". Olympics.com. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  5. [5]
    With David Beckham watching, Mariana Pajon wins women’s BMX gold at the London Olympics. The Associated Press (10 August 2012)
  6. [6]
    "Cycling BMX Racing Schedule & Results – 30 Jul | Tokyo 2020". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 30 July 2021. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  7. [7]
    "Mariana Pajon & Vincent Pelluard wedding".
  8. [8]
    "El francés que tiene enamorada a Mariana Pajón".
  9. [9]
    "A un mes de Tokio 2021, Colombia completa 55 clasificados". 22 June 2021.
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