Natalia Linares
Natalia Carolina Linares González (born 3 January 2003) is a Colombian track and field athlete and South American record holder in the long jump, which she set winning the bronze medal at the 2025 World Athletics Championships. She also won the bronze medal the following year at the 2026 World Indoor Championships. Previously, she was a gold medalist at the 2023 Pan American Games and 2025 South American Championships and is a three-time champion at the South American Indoor Championships in Athletics.[1]
Early life
The daughter of Yanelis Gonzales, Linares attended the Gimnasio del Norte school in Valledupar, Colombia. By 2023, she had moved to Santa Marta where she trains alongside Arnovis Dalmero under Martin Suarez. She studied at the University of Magdalena.[2][3]
Career
Linares won the silver medal in the South American Games in Asunción in 2022 and also win silver at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali in 2022.[4] That year, she won the long jump at the 2022 Bolivarian Games, setting a new Colombian U23 (and U20) national record of 6.79 metres.[5]
Linares won a gold medal in the long jump at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games, setting a personal best distance of 6.86 meters.[6] In August 2023, she competed at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.[7]
She won a gold medal at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, jumping 6.66 metres.[8][9]
She was selected for the women's long jump at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow where she finished in twelfth place.[10] She ran as part of the Colombian 4 × 100 m relay team at the 2024 World Relays Championships in Nassau.[11] She competed in the long jump at the 2024 Paris Olympics.[12]
She won the bronze medal at the 2025 Summer World University Games in Bochum, Germany.[13] In September 2025, she won the bronze medal at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, setting a new South American record of 6.92 metres.[14]
Competing at the 2026 South American Indoor Championships, Linares won the gold medal in the long jump and set a championship record and national indoor best of 6.73m.[15] In March, she jumped 6.80 metres to win the bronze medal at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland.[16]
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Colombia | |||||
| 2019 | South American U20 Championships | Cali, Colombia | 7th | Long jump | 5.43 m |
| 2020 | South American Indoor Championships | Cochabamba, Bolivia | 2nd | 60 m | 7.42 s NR |
| 1st | 200 m | 24.19 s CR | |||
| 2021 | South American Championships | Guayaquil, Ecuador | 4th | 100 m | 11.55 s |
| 2nd | 4 × 100 m relay | 45.61 s | |||
| 4th | Long jump | 6.33 m | |||
| South American U20 Championships | Lima, Peru | 1st | 100 m | 11.68 s | |
| 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 46.35 s | |||
| 1st | Long jump | 6.14 m | |||
| World U20 Championships | Nairobi, Kenya | 12th | Long jump | 5.66 m | |
| Junior Pan American Games (U23) | Cali, Colombia | 3rd | 100 m | 11.60 s | |
| 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 43.59 s AU23R | |||
| 2nd | Long jump | 6.27 m | |||
| 2022 | Bolivarian Games | Valledupar, Colombia | 1st | Long jump | 6.68 m GR, AU20R |
| World U20 Championships | Cali, Colombia | 2nd | Long jump | 6.59 m | |
| South American Games | Asunción Paraguay | 2nd | Long jump | 6.43 m | |
| 2023 | Central American and Caribbean Games | San Salvador, El Salvador | 1st | Long jump | 6.86 m GR, AU23R |
| South American Championships | São Paulo, Brazil | 4th | 100 m | 11.43 s | |
| World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 25th (q) | Long jump | 6.38 m | |
| Pan American Games | Santiago, Chile | 6th | 4 × 100 m relay | 44.79 s | |
| 1st | Long jump | 6.66 m | |||
| 2024 | South American Indoor Championships | Cochabamba, Bolivia | 3rd | Long jump | 6.32 m |
| World Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 12th | Long jump | 6.33 m | |
| World Relays | Nassau, Bahamas | 14th (r) | 4 × 100 m relay | 43.92 s | |
| Ibero-American Championships | Cuiabá, Brazil | 1st | Long jump | 6.82 m | |
| Meeting de Paris | Paris, France | 6th | Long jump | 6.62 m | |
| Olympic Games | Paris, France | 22nd (q) | Long jump | 6.40 m | |
| 2025 | South American Indoor Championships | Cochabamba, Bolivia | 1st | Long jump | 6.64 m CR, NR |
| South American Championships | Mar del Plata, Argentina | 1st | Long jump | 6.81 m w | |
| World University Games | Bochum, Germany | 3rd | Long jump | 6.67 m | |
| Junior Pan American Games (U23) | Asunción, Paraguay | 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | 44.01 s | |
| 1st | Long jump | 6.92 m JPR, AU23R | |||
| World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 3rd | Long jump | 6.92 m =AU23R | |
| Bolivarian Games | Lima, Peru | 1st | Long jump | 6.95 m GR, NR, AU23R | |
| 2026 | South American Indoor Championships | Cochabamba, Bolivia | 1st | Long jump | 6.73 m CR, NR |
| World Indoor Championships | Toruń, Poland | 3rd | Long jump | 6.80 m NR | |
References
- ^ "Natalia Linares". World Athletics. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ "Meet Natalia Linares, the athlete who follows in Caterine Ibargüen's footsteps". Elcolombiano. 10 July 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ "Natalia Linares, the charismatic of Colombian athletics". Radio Nacional. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ Martinez, Jose Alejandro. "Natalia Linares, queen of sports at Cesar for the third consecutive year". elpilon.com. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ "Pulverizan récord de Caterine Ibargüen: Natalia Linares brilló en los Juegos Bolivarianos". pulzo.com. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ Avila, Santiago. "Natalia Linares, jewel of Colombian sports, dreams of gold in her first Olympics". Pulzo. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ "Otra vez será: así le fue a Natalia Linares en Mundial de atletismo. ¿Qué le pasó?". elpilon. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ Ariza, Juan Sebastian (30 October 2023). "Natalia Linares, gold in long jump at the Pan American Games". as.com. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ "Natalia Linares, the 'crowned goddess' of athletics". Olimpicocol. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ "Women's Long Jump Results - World Athletics Indoor Championships 2024". Watch Athletics. 3 March 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ "Women 4x100m Results - World Athletics Relays Championships 2024". World Athletics. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ "Women's Long jump Results - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics". Watch Athletics. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ "Gold für Mika Sosna, Silber für Steven Richter". 22 July 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
- ^ "World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025". World Athletics. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ "Herrera, Azevedo and Linares shine, Brazil dominates South American Indoor Championships". World Athletics. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "BRITISH LONG JUMPER'S WORLD INDOOR DEBUT MARRED BY OFFICIATING BLUNDER". Athletics Weekly. 22 March 2026. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
External links
- Natalia Linares at World Athletics
- Natalia Linares at Olympics.com
- Natalia Linares at Olympedia
- Natalia Linares at InterSportStats