Jacinta Sandiford Amador (9 April 1932 – 1 January 1987) was an

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

ian female

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete who competed in the

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

. Born in the Eloy Alfaro area of

Durán, Ecuador Durán, is a canton located in the province of Guayas, Ecuador, near the confluence of the Daule & Babahoyo rivers, where the Guayas River enters the ocean. It is located across the Guayas River from Guayaquil. Its township or capital is Eloy Al ...

, she was the daughter of an Englishman who worked as an engineer for Ecuador's state railway.Jacinta Sandiford Amador
El Universo (2011-11-24). Retrieved on 2018-01-13. She took up

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...

and in her teens she won the gold medal at the inaugural Pan American Games in 1951, recording a height of and beating out Chile's Lucy López and Brazilian Elizabeth Müller on countback. This made her Ecuador's first ever medallist at the competition. She remained the only South American woman to have won that title until Solange Witteveen of Argentina did so in 1999. Upon the Ecuadorian delegation's return, Sandiford was the first athlete off the plane which led to images of her receiving national attention. That same year she also won high jump gold at the

Bolivarian Games The Bolivarian Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Bolivarianos'', full name ''Juegos Deportivos Bolivarianos'') are a regional multi-sport event held in honor of Simón Bolívar, and organized by the Bolivarian Sports Organization (''Organización Deport ...

with a mark of , and is still the only Ecuadorian to have won that title.Bolivarian Games
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2018-01-13. Her career came to a close shortly afterwards, however, as a result of a leg injury and acute apendicitus.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandiford, Jacinta 1932 births 1987 deaths Ecuadorian female high jumpers Pan American Games gold medalists for Ecuador Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 1951 Pan American Games Ecuadorian people of British descent Medalists at the 1951 Pan American Games