The Most Famous

ATHLETES from Colombia

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This page contains a list of the greatest Colombian Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 6,025 Athletes, 46 of which were born in Colombia. This makes Colombia the birth place of the 54th most number of Athletes behind Morocco, and Portugal.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Colombian Athletes of all time. This list of famous Colombian Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Colombian Athletes.

Photo of Henrik Christiansen

1. Henrik Christiansen (b. )

With an HPI of 47.16, Henrik Christiansen is the most famous Colombian Athlete.  Their biography has been translated into 10 different languages on wikipedia.

Henrik Christiansen may refer to: Henrik Christiansen (speed skater) (born 1983), Norwegian long track speed skater Henrik Christiansen (canoeist), Danish sprint canoer Henrik Christiansen (swimmer) (born 1996), Norwegian swimmer

Photo of María Isabel Urrutia

2. María Isabel Urrutia (b. 1965)

With an HPI of 46.54, María Isabel Urrutia is the 2nd most famous Colombian Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

María Isabel Urrutia Ocoró (born 25 March 1965) is a former weightlifter, athlete and politician from Colombia. She won the first ever gold medal for Colombia at the Summer Olympic Games.

Photo of Óscar Figueroa

3. Óscar Figueroa (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 45.98, Óscar Figueroa is the 3rd most famous Colombian Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Oscar Albeiro Figueroa Mosquera (born 27 April 1983) is a retired Colombian weightlifter, and a gold medallist competing in the 62 kg category until 2018 and 67 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories. He was born in the rural township of Zaragoza, located in Cartago, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. He initially retired from the sport after the 2016 Summer Olympics, but has returned to international competition and has competed at the 2018 World Weightlifting Championships. He formally announced his retirement again in November 2019.

Photo of Ximena Restrepo

4. Ximena Restrepo (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 45.73, Ximena Restrepo is the 4th most famous Colombian Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Ximena Restrepo Gaviria (born March 10, 1969, in Medellín) is a former Colombian nationalized Chilean sprinter who specialised in the 400 metres. With the time of 49.64 seconds she won a bronze medal in 400 metres at the 1992 Olympic Games, Colombia's first athletics medal. This result is still a South American record, as is the case with her 200 metres time of 22.92 seconds, which she achieved in 1991. At the 1991 Pan American Games she won silver medals in 200 and 400 metres. Restrepo is married to Chilean shot putter Gert Weil. She attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where she won the 1991 NCAA Championship in the 400 metres. Martina Weil, daughter of Ximena and Gert, is a track and field athlete at the University of Tennessee after winning the 400 meters in the South American U23 championships and setting a Chilean national record in the event, and recently won a gold medal in the 400 meters in the 2023 Panamerican games. Living now in Chile, she is the first female elected vice-president of the World Athletics, in Doha on 25 September 2019.

Photo of Caterine Ibargüen

5. Caterine Ibargüen (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 45.34, Caterine Ibargüen is the 5th most famous Colombian Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 36 different languages.

Caterine Ibargüen Mena ODB (born 12 February 1984) is a retired Colombian athlete competing in high jump, long jump and triple jump. Her notable achievements include a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, silver medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics, two gold medals in the World Championships in Athletics, and two gold medals in the 2011 Pan American Games and 2015 Pan American Games.

Photo of Orlando Duque

6. Orlando Duque (b. 1974)

With an HPI of 43.71, Orlando Duque is the 6th most famous Colombian Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Orlando Duque (born September 11, 1974 in Cali, Colombia) is a Colombian high diver. He won the first ever Gold medal in the sport at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Spain.

Photo of Yuri Alvear

7. Yuri Alvear (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 39.47, Yuri Alvear is the 7th most famous Colombian Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Yuri Alvear Orejuela (born 29 March 1986) is a Colombian judoka, three times World Champion in her division.

Photo of Alisher Yusupov

8. Alisher Yusupov (b. 1998)

With an HPI of 36.56, Alisher Yusupov is the 8th most famous Colombian Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.

Alisher Yusupov (born 27 November 1998) is an Uzbek judoka. Yusupov is a bronze medalist from the 2019 Judo Grand Slam Osaka in the +100 kg category.

Photo of Flor Ruiz

9. Flor Ruiz (b. 1991)

With an HPI of 36.52, Flor Ruiz is the 9th most famous Colombian Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 14 different languages.

Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado (born 29 January 1991 in Pradera, Valle del Cauca) is a Colombian javelin thrower. She competed in the javelin throw event at the 2012, 2016, and 2024 Summer Olympics, reaching the final in 2016 and 2024. In 2023, she won a silver medal at the World Championships in Budapest. On June 26, 2024, the Colombian Olympic Committee selected Ruiz and the track cyclist Kevin Quintero as the nation’s flag bearers at Paris 2024.

Photo of Ingrit Valencia

10. Ingrit Valencia (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 36.44, Ingrit Valencia is the 10th most famous Colombian Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 14 different languages.

Ingrit Lorena Valencia Victoria (born 3 September 1988) is a Colombian female boxer. She represented Colombia at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, in the women's flyweight, and won the bronze medal. She was the flag bearer for Colombia during the closing ceremony. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, earning a bronze medal. She again represented Colombia at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

People

Pantheon has 46 people classified as Colombian athletes born between 1965 and 2000. Of these 46, 46 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Colombian athletes include Henrik Christiansen, María Isabel Urrutia, and Óscar Figueroa. As of April 2024, 34 new Colombian athletes have been added to Pantheon including Henrik Christiansen, Alisher Yusupov, and Flor Ruiz.

Living Colombian Athletes

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Newly Added Colombian Athletes (2024)

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