Yolanda Caballero

Yolanda Beatriz Caballero Pérez (born March 9, 1982) is a long-distance runner from Colombia. Her personal best of 2:26:17 hours for the marathon (set at the Boston Marathon) is the fastest by a South American runner. Her half marathon best of 1:10:30 hours is also a South American record.

Yolanda Caballero
Yolanda Caballero at Boston Marathon 2013
Personal information
Born (1982-03-09) March 9, 1982
Bogotá, Colombia
Height1.55 m (5 ft 1 in)
Weight46 kg (101 lb)
Sport
Country Colombia
SportWomen's athletics
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Colombia
Pan American Games
2011 Guadalajara10,000 m
Central American and Caribbean Games
2010 Mayagüez10,000 m
Bolivarian Games
2005 Armenia 3000 m steeplechase
South American Championships
2005 Cali3000 m steeplechase

She started out as a steeplechase runner, taking bronze at the 2005 South American Championships, but progressed to long-distance races. She was the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games champion in the 10,000 metres, and was the bronze medallist in that event at the 2011 Pan American Games. She represented Colombia in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Career

Based in Bogotá, she is affiliated with the Atletas con Porvenir running club.[1] Her international career began in 2001: she was ninth in the junior race at the South American Cross Country Championships[2] and competed at both the Pan American Junior and South American Junior Championships. At the Pan American event she was third in the 1500 metres and at the South American competition she was the runner-up in the 3000 metres steeplechase and bronze medallist over 5000 metres.[3][4] She moved up in age category at the 2004 South American Under-23 Championships in Athletics and took third over 1500 m and broke the Colombian national record in the steeplechase with a time of 10:24.09 minutes for second place.[5] She traveled to Europe to compete at the 2004 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics and ran a personal best of 9:36.86 minutes for the 3000 metres.[6]

Caballero's first senior medal came at the 2005 South American Championships in Athletics held in Cali, where she was the bronze medallist in the steeplechase.[7] She repeated that feat at the 2005 Bolivarian Games. She never participated in international competition from 2006 to 2009 and re-emerged in 2010, focusing on longer distance races. She won a 5000 m and 10,000 metres double at the Colombian Championships in 2010.[8] She won the 5000 m bronze at the 2010 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics with a personal best run of 15:50.18 minutes.[9] As national champion, she represented Colombia over the long-distance track events at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games. She became the CAC Games champion in the 10,000 m and was elevated to the silver medal in the 5000 m after the disqualification of Rachael Marchand.[10] She began competing in road running events towards the end of the year, placing second at the Medellín half marathon with a run of 73:18 minutes (a Colombian record) and winning the Bogotá 12K.[1][8]

Caballero made her debut over the marathon distance at the 2011 Boston Marathon and finished in eighth place with a time of 2:26:17 hours. This was unofficially a South American record (the course was downhill) and gained her selection for that event at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[11] She ran a half marathon best of 72:35 minutes to take seventh at the Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon. An appearance at the 2011 Pan American Games saw her increase her track medal haul, as she placed third in the 10,000 m and also managed sixth in the 5000 m. She ran at the 2012 New York Half Marathon, but finished 26th in a high calibre field.[8] She entered the marathon at the 2012 London Olympics, but failed to finish the race.

Caballero began 2013 with a South American record run at the NYC Half Marathon, completing the distance in 1:10:30 hours to take seventh place.[12]

Achievements
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  Colombia
2004 South American U23 Championships Barquisimeto, Venezuela 3rd 1500m 4:37.62
2nd 3000m steeplechase 10:24.09
2005 Bolivarian Games Armenia, Colombia 3rd 3000 m steeplechase 10:51.85 A

References
  1. Yolanda Caballero ganó la Carrera de la Mujer. Barrios de Bogota. Retrieved on 2012-04-01.
  2. 2001 South American Cross Country Championships. World Junior Athletics History. Retrieved on 2012-04-01.
  3. 2001 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships Archived 2013-08-31 at the Wayback Machine. World Junior Athletics History. Retrieved on 2012-04-01.
  4. 2001 South American Junior Championships Archived 2011-10-23 at the Wayback Machine. World Junior Athletics History. Retrieved on 2012-04-01.
  5. Results Service - Servicio de Resultados, I Campeonato Suramericano Sub 23, SAM-23 Barquisimeto VEN, 26-27 Jun 2004 Archived February 14, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Central American and Caribbean Athletic Confederation. Retrieved on 2012-04-01.
  6. XI Campeonato Iberoamericano de Atletismo Archived April 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. AthleCAC. Retrieved on 2011-11-19.
  7. Biscayart, Eduardo (2005-07-24), South American Championships, Day Two, IAAF, retrieved 2011-01-29
  8. Yolanda Caballero. Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2012-04-01.
  9. 5000m Mujeres Final Archived July 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. RFEA. Retrieved on 2012-04-01.
  10. Robinson, Javier Clavelo (2010-07-30). Trinidad and Tobago clock 38.24 to take 4x100m relay gold in Mayaguez - CAC Games, day 5. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-04-01.
  11. Yolanda Caballero la mejor maratonista de Suramérica vuelve a competir (in Spanish). Antena2 (2011-09-15). Retrieved on 2012-04-01.
  12. Battaglia, Joe (2013-03-17). Wilson Kipsang gives high octane performance at chilly NYC Half. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-23.
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