Érick Barrondo

Érick Barrondo
	Erick Barrondo in 2023
Personal information
Born	14 June 1991 (age 33); 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
Men's athletics
Representing Guatemala
Olympic Games
Pan American Games
	Updated on 24 December 2014

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 Olympic medal in Guatemala's history.^[1]^[2]

Early life

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]

Career

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 first Olympic medalist 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]

Personal bests

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

Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing Guatemala
2010	Central American Junior Championships	Ciudad de Panamá, Panamá	1st	10,000 m track walk	48:16.69
2010	Central American Championships	Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala	4th	20,000 m track walk	1:34:35.14
2011	Central American Race Walking Cup	San Salvador, El Salvador	1st	20 km	1:24:34
	Pan American Race Walking Cup	Envigado, Colombia	2nd	20 km	1:25:56
	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	10th	20 km	1:22:08
	Pan American Games	Guadalajara, México	1st	20 km	1:21:51
2012	World Race Walking Cup	Saransk, Russia	—	20 km	DQ
	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	2nd	20 km	1:18:57
	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	—	50 km	DQ
2013	Dudinska Patdesiatka	Dudince, Slovakia	1st	50 km	3:41:09
	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	—	20 km	DQ
	Bolivarian Games	Trujillo, Perú	1st	20 km	1:23:25
2014	South American Race Walking Championships	Cochabamba, Bolivia	2nd^[13]	20 km	1:26:42 A
	World Race Walking Cup	Taicang, China	—	20 km	DQ
	Central American and Caribbean Games	Xalapa, México	—	20 km	DQ
	Central American and Caribbean Games	Xalapa, México	1st	50 km	3:49:40 A
2015	Pan American Race Walking Cup	Arica, Chile	1st	20 km	1:21:25
	Pan American Race Walking Cup	Arica, Chile	3rd	Team (20 km)	32 pts
	Pan American Games	Toronto, Canada	—	20 km	DQ
	Pan American Games	Toronto, Canada	2nd	50 km	3:55:57
	World Championships	Beijing, China	—	50 km	DQ

References

^ "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.
^ ^a ^b 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

External links

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 Juan Ignacio Maegli	Flagbearer for Guatemala Rio de Janeiro 2016	Succeeded by Incumbent

[1] "Do track not war, says Guatemalan hero Barrondo". The West Australian. 5 August 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.

[2] "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.

[3] 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.

[2011PAG-4] 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.

[5] 2011 PAn American Race Walking Cup - Results - Men's 20 km. USATF. Retrieved 2011-11-02.

[6] Warburton, Paul (27 June 2011). Victories go to China and Finland in Dublin. IAAF. Retrieved 2011-11-02.

[7] 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.

[8] 2011 World Championships - Men's 20K walk results Archived 30 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved 2011-11-02.

[9] 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.

[10] "London 2012 20km walk men Results - Olympic athletics". Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.

[tiempos_01-11] 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

[12] "Guatemalan rapper sued for racist Twitter post about country's genocide". The Tico Times. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2017.

[13] Competing as guest

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