Mauricio Ortega (athlete)

Mauricio Ortega
Personal information
Full name Mauricio Alexander Ortega Girón
Born August 4, 1994
Apartadó, Antioquia, Colombia
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight 90 kg (200 lb)
Sport
Country  Colombia
Event(s) Discus throw
Updated on 27 December 2014.
This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Ortega and the second or maternal family name is Girón.

Mauricio Alexander Ortega Girón (born 4 August 1994 in Apartadó, Antioquia)[1] is a Colombian discus thrower. His personal best of 59.95 m (196 ft 8 in) for the event is the Colombian record. He also holds the South American junior record.

He was the gold medallist at the 2014 South American Games and a bronze medallist at the 2013 South American Championships in Athletics. He was a two-time champion at the South American Junior Championships in Athletics.

Career

He competed at the 2011 World Youth Championships in Athletics and placed fourth.[2][3] He topped the podium at the 2011 South American Junior Championships in Athletics with a national junior record mark of 58.48 m (191 ft 101⁄4 in) – he was the youngest entrant at the event.[4] At the 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics he improved his record to 59.84 m (196 ft 33⁄4 in) in qualifying,[5] but performed less well in the final and finished ninth.[6] He began to throw with the senior-weight discus that year and was the winner of the 2012 South American Under-23 Championships in Athletics.[7] He won at the National Games of Colombia with a personal best of 55.00 m (180 ft 51⁄4 in).[8]

Ortega established himself at the senior level in 2013. He won his first Colombian senior title in June and took the bronze medal at the 2013 South American Championships in Athletics with a personal best of 57.76 m (189 ft 6 in). The 2013 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships was hosted in Medellín and he came second to Hayden Reed with a junior personal best of 61.77 m (202 ft 73⁄4 in).[8] He improved further to a South American junior record and championship record of 62.78 m (205 ft 111⁄2 in) to win gold at the 2013 South American Junior Championships in Athletics, which was also in Colombia.[9] A Colombian senior record came at the 2013 Bolivarian Games, where his throw of 59.67 m (195 ft 9 in) brought him the gold medal in a games record.[10]

He improved the national record to 59.95 m (196 ft 8 in) at the 2014 South American Games, breaking the games record to take the gold medal.[11]

Personal bests

Event Result Venue Date
Discus throw 62.30 m A Colombia Medellín 28 Jun 2014

Achievements

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Colombia
2011 World Youth Championships Villeneuve d'Ascq, France 4th Discus throw (1.5 kg) 60.28 m
South American Junior Championships Medellín, Colombia 1st Discus throw (1.75 kg) 58.48 m A
2012 World Junior Championships Barcelona, Spain 9th Discus throw (1.75 kg) 57.50 m
South American Under-23 Championships São Paulo, Brazil 1st Discus throw 53.94 m
2013 South American Championships Cartagena, Colombia 3rd Discus throw 57.76 m
Pan American Junior Championships Medellín, Colombia 2nd Discus throw (1.75 kg) 61.77 m A
South American Junior Championships Resistencia, Argentina 1st Discus throw (1.75 kg) 62.78 m
Bolivarian Games Trujillo, Perú 1st Discus throw 59.67 m
2014 South American Games Santiago, Chile 1st Discus throw 59.95 m
Ibero-American Championships São Paulo, Brazil 4th Discus throw 59.10 m
South American Under-23 Championships Montevideo, Uruguay 1st Discus throw 60.46 m
Central American and Caribbean Games Xalapa, México 2nd Discus throw 60.69 m A

References

  1. ↑ Biscayart, Eduardo (2013-12-02). Rodriguez and Garcia help Colombia shine at Bolivarian Games. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-03-20.
  2. ↑ World Youth Championships 2011. World Junior Athletics History (2013-01-19). Retrieved on 2014-03-20.
  3. ↑ Arcoleo, Laura (2011-07-06). Boys' Discus Throw Final – Dacres, Jamaica's first. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-03-20.
  4. ↑ South American Junior Championships 2011. WJAH (2012-12-01). Retrieved on 2014-03-20.
  5. ↑ Martin, David (2012-07-10). Craft produces major shock with Kenya and Ethiopia also winning gold – Barcelona 2012 – Day One Evening Report. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-03-20.
  6. ↑ World Junior Championships 2012. WJAH (2013-01-19). Retrieved on 2014-03-20.
  7. ↑ Biscayart, Eduardo (2012-09-24). Brazil dominates South American Under-23 Champs. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-03-20.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Mauricio Ortega. Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2014-03-20.
  9. ↑ Biscayart, Eduardo (2013-10-21). Tenorio shines at South American Junior Championships. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-03-20.
  10. ↑ Biscayart, Eduardo (2013-12-02). Rodriguez and Garcia help Colombia shine at Bolivarian Games. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-03-20.
  11. ↑ Biscayart, Eduardo (2014-03-17). Davide and Duco delight big crowd on final day of ODESUR Games. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-03-20.

External links