Érick_Barrondo
Érick Barrondo
Guatemalan racewalker (born 1991)
Érick Bernabé Barrondo García (born 14 June 1991) is a Guatemalan racewalker who competes in the 20 km walk and 50 km walk events. He won the silver medal at the Men's 20 km Racewalk in the 2012 Summer Olympics, the first and only Olympic medal in Guatemala's history.[1][2]
 Erick Barrondo in 2023 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Guatemalan |
| Born | (1991-06-14) 14 June 1991 (age 32) Chiyuc, San Cristóbal Verapaz, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala |
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 60 kg (132 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Guatemala |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event(s) | 20 km race walk 50 km race walk |
| Coached by | Chan Mata and Diego Cabrera |
Medal record | |
| Updated on 24 December 2014. | |
He was born in Aldea Chiyuc in the municipality of San Cristóbal Verapaz, Alta Verapaz Department, Guatemala.[3] Initially, Barrondo competed in long-distance running events, following in the footsteps of his parents. However, he sustained an injury and was introduced to racewalking as a method of recovering. He decided to give up running and focus on walking instead. He began working with Rigoberto Medina, a Cuban coach who had trained the 2003 Pan American champion Cristina López.[4]
Barrondo made his international debut at the 2011 Pan American Race Walking Cup, where he claimed the silver medal in the 20 km with a time of 1:25:56 hours.[5] Competing in the 2011 IAAF World Race Walking Challenge tour, he came in 13th at the Sesto San Giovanni race and then improved his personal best by over four minutes at the Dublin Race Walking Grand Prix, coming in fourth place with a time of 1:20:58 hours.[6] As a result of this performance, he was selected to represent Guatemala at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, being one of only two entrants from his country, alongside fellow walker Jamy Franco.[7] In the World Championships 20 km race, he came in tenth place with a time of 1:22:08 hours and was the second best performer from the Americas, behind Colombia's Luis Fernando López who came third.[8]
At the 2011 Pan American Games in October, he and Jamy Franco completed a Guatemalan double in the men's and women's 20 km walks. Barrondo won the gold medal in a time of 1:21:51 hours, seeing off a challenge from World Championships medalist López.[4] He walked to a personal best in the 20 km at the 2012 Memorial Mario Albisetti, taking third place in 1:18:25 hours.[9]
2012 Summer Olympics
In the London Olympics of 2012 he won Guatemala's first ever Olympic medal. He came in the second place in the 20 kilometers race with the time of 1:18:57, just eleven seconds behind China's Chen Ding, who set a new Olympic record.[10] In the 50 kilometers race he was disqualified by the judges.
Barrondo has participated in the Olympics of 2016 and 2020.
Personal life
After the world championships that took place in Moscow in August 2013, he married racewalker Mirna Ortiz.[11]
Barrondo, the only Olympic medalists in Guatemala's history, is of indigenous descent. In April 2015 radio commentator Julio Reyes was widely criticized after making racist comments online regarding Barrondo's heritage.[12]
| Event | Result | Venue | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road walk | ||||
| 10 km | 39:52 min |  Borsky Mikulás | 1 Jun 2019 | |
| 20 km | 1:18:25 hrs |  Lugano | 18 Mar 2012 | |
| 50 km | 3:41:09 hrs | Dudince | 23 Mar 2013 | AR, NR |
| Track walk | ||||
| 10,000 m | 40:10.73 min | Ciudad de Guatemala | 25 Oct 2013 | |
| 20,000 m | 1:34:35.14 hrs | Ciudad de Guatemala | 18 Sep 2010 | |
- "Do track not war, says Guatemalan hero Barrondo". The West Australian. 5 August 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
- "Chen wins Olympic 20 km walk, history for Guatemala". Eurosport Asia. 4 August 2012. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
- Ellos son los atletas guatemaltecos que llenaron de oro a Guatemala Archived 2 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Cancha (1 November 2011). Retrieved 2011-11-02.
- Robinson, Javier Clavelo (24 October 2011). Guatemala sweeps 20Km Race Walks, da Silva takes Marathon gold - Pan American Games, Day 1. IAAF. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
- 2011 PAn American Race Walking Cup - Results - Men's 20 km. USATF. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
- Warburton, Paul (27 June 2011). Victories go to China and Finland in Dublin. IAAF. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
- Marchistas nacionales dirán presente en el Mundial de atletismo Archived 27 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Comité Olímpico Guatemalteco (17 August 2011). Retrieved 2011-11-02.
- 2011 World Championships - Men's 20K walk results Archived 30 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
- Sampaolo, Diego (19 March 2012). Schwazer clocks sensational 1:17:30 in Lugano Archived 4 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved 2012-03-25.
- "London 2012 20km walk men Results - Olympic athletics". Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
- Rojas Rodríguez, Betty (24 February 2014), Una historia de amor a toda marcha (in Spanish), Los Tiempos, archived from the original on 19 May 2014, retrieved 20 May 2014
- "Guatemalan rapper sued for racist Twitter post about country's genocide". The Tico Times. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- Competing as guest
- Érick Barrondo at World Athletics
- Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Erick Barrondo". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
| Olympic Games | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Flagbearer for Guatemala Rio de Janeiro 2016 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |