Carolena Jean Carstens Salceda (born January 18, 1996 in Winfield,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, United States) is a

taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...

practitioner representing

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

. She has dual US / Panamanian citizenship through her father and mother respectively,. She used to live in

Glen Ellyn, Illinois Glen Ellyn is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. A suburb located due west of downtown Chicago, the village has a population of 28,846 as of the 2020 Census. History Glen Ellyn, like the neighboring town to the east, Lomba ...

., but has since moved to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. In 2011, Carstens participated at the Pan American Championships, where she won the silver medal in the youth -52 kg category, losing to the American Deireanne Morales in the final. She subsequently took part in

qualification Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to: * Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...

for the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

in November 2011, finishing fourth. She later received one of four wild card entries for the Olympics as the 13th ranked athlete in the -49 kg category, becoming the first Olympic taekwondo athlete from Panama, and the second youngest Olympian in the country's history. She was the youngest athlete at the 2012 Olympics. She lost her first contest 7–2 to an eventual finalist, Spaniard

Brigitte Yagüe Brigitte Yagüe Enrique (born 15 March 1981 in Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain) is a taekwondo practitioner from Spain. In 2004, Yagüe qualified for the Athens Olympics, winning over rival Belen Asensio in the –49&n ...

, and then lost her repechage fight to Mexican

Jannet Alegría Jannet Alegría Peña (born August 30, 1987, in San Juan del Río, Mexico) is Mexican taekwondo practitioner. In 2011, she participated at the 2011 Pan American Games where she won the bronze medal at the -49 kg category. Later in 2012 she ...

by the same score. She competed for Panama at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

. She was defeated by

Raheleh Asemani Raheleh Asemani ( fa, راحله آسمانی, born 21 June 1989) is an Iranian-born taekwondo practitioner who competes internationally for Belgium. She participated at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She has a history of participating in the Asian g ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

in the first round. She was the flag bearer for Panama during the closing ceremony. She competed in the women's lightweight event at the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships held in Guadalajara, Mexico.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carstens, Carolena 1996 births Living people American sportspeople of Panamanian descent People with acquired Panamanian citizenship Panamanian female taekwondo practitioners Olympic taekwondo practitioners of Panama Taekwondo practitioners at the 2012 Summer Olympics Taekwondo practitioners at the 2016 Summer Olympics Pan American Games competitors for Panama Taekwondo practitioners at the 2015 Pan American Games People from Winfield, Illinois People from Glen Ellyn, Illinois South American Games gold medalists for Panama South American Games medalists in taekwondo Competitors at the 2014 South American Games Taekwondo practitioners at the 2019 Pan American Games 21st-century American women 21st-century Panamanian women