Thalía Valdivia Makes Waves at Paris 2024: Tops the Latin American List with an Impressive 18th Place Finish in Women’s Marathon

Thalía Valdivia placed 18th in the women’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Credit: Agencies

Peruvian athlete Thalía Valdivia finished 18th in the women’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympics, becoming the highest-placed Latin American. She was followed by Huancayo athlete Gladys Tejeda, who finished 56th, and runner Luz Mery Rojas, who placed 62nd.

Tejeda crossed the finish line after running for 2 hours and 35 minutes. It is worth noting that the Paris Olympics 2024 scheduled the women’s marathon event for early Saturday, August 10 (Peru time), in which Peruvians Gladys Tejeda, Thalía Valdivia, and Luz Mery Rojas participated.

The established course for the event was 42.195 km, and the Peruvian marathoners faced 88 other competitors from around the world, aiming to place among the best.

As is known, the Peruvian delegation arrived at Paris 2024 with 26 athletes and has had a positive balance compared to previous editions. After 32 years, the country celebrated an Olympic medal thanks to Stefano Peschiera, who won bronze in sailing. But that’s not all.

In addition to the medal, the ‘Team Peru’ won five Olympic diplomas. Evelyn Inga (race walking), Nicolás Pacheco (shooting), Alonso Correa (surfing), María Belén Bazo (sailing), and the pair of Kimberly García and César Rodríguez (mixed team race walking) excelled in their respective disciplines.

Thalía Valdivia will represent Peru at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (Infobae Composition).

Over the decades, the Olympic Games have been a stage where various Peruvian athletes have demonstrated their talent and excellence. Although medals have been elusive for the Peruvian team in recent years, it is important to highlight that the country currently has a complete representation in terms of Olympic medals. The path to these medals has been full of challenges, but also memorable moments that reflect the effort and dedication of Peruvian athletes.

From the historic medal in shooting at the Olympic Games of the 1940s to the most recent one by Stefano Peschiera, Peruvian athletes have left an indelible mark on Olympic history. Their persistence and commitment continue to inspire new generations dreaming of representing Peru on the world’s largest sports stage. Today, it is essential to support athletes and develop specialized training and coaching programs.

The journey began in London 1948 with Edwin Vásquez Cam (1922-1993), who achieved an Olympic feat by winning the gold medal in the free pistol event at 50 meters.

The curious aspect of his story is that he achieved Olympic glory with a gun borrowed from his teammate Luis Mantilla, as his revolver was disqualified for being obsolete. Undeterred, Vásquez used the borrowed pistol and, to everyone’s surprise, outperformed Swiss Rudolf Schneider and Swedish Torsten Ullman. Thus, the Peruvian flag flew at Wembley Stadium, accompanied by the sacred notes of the National Anthem.

More than 30 years passed before another Peruvian athlete climbed to the Olympic podium. At the Los Angeles 1984 Games, a 19-year-old named Francisco Boza (1964) brought glory to Peru by winning the silver medal in Olympic trap shooting.

Upon his arrival in Lima, he was welcomed with jubilation by a crowd of compatriots at Jorge Chávez Airport, who lifted him on their shoulders like a true champion, while he smiled shyly, overwhelmed by the emotion of the moment.

When will the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games be

In the following edition, Seoul 1988, the most important achievement in the history of Peruvian volleyball occurred when a team of brave girls emerged as the revelation of the tournament. They defeated all their opponents and it was expected that gold was assured.

However, led by South Korean coach Man-Bok-Park, the Peruvian players fell just short of gold after losing an exciting and painful match against the now-defunct Soviet Union. Thus, the women’s volleyball team hung the silver medal around their necks.

At Barcelona 1992, Peru obtained its third consecutive medal at the Olympics thanks to Juan Giha, who won silver in shooting sports. Since then, several editions of the Games have passed without our country managing to stand out.

Until at Paris 2024, the Peruvian flag flew once again on an Olympic podium when sailor Stefano Peschiera, aged 29, obtained the bronze medal in the dinghy event, on the waters off Marseille.

Despite rescheduling issues in the Olympic Medal Race due to adverse weather conditions, Peschiera managed to score 80 points, finishing on the podium behind Australian Matt Wearn and Cypriot Pavlos Kontides.