Yolanda Beatriz Caballero Pérez (born March 9, 1982) is a

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

from

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. Her personal best of 2:26:17 hours for the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

(set at the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...

) is the fastest by a South American runner. Her

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

best of 1:10:30 hours is also a South American record. She started out as a steeplechase runner, taking bronze at the 2005 South American Championships, but progressed to long-distance races. She was the

2010 Central American and Caribbean Games The 21st Central American and Caribbean Games (Spanish: ''XXI Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe, Mayagüez 2010'') took place in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, from 18 July 2010 to 1 August 2010. Bid It was understood that Mayagüez was going to b ...

champion in the

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The race ...

, and was the bronze medallist in that event at the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...

. She represented Colombia in the marathon at 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 ...

Career

Based in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

, she is affiliated with the ''Atletas con Porvenir'' running club. Her international career began in 2001: she was ninth in the junior race at the

South American Cross Country Championships The South American Cross Country Championships is an annual continental cross country running competition for athletes from South America or, more specifically, member countries of CONSUDATLE. It was first held in 1986, making it the oldest of t ...

and competed at both the Pan American Junior and South American Junior Championships. At the Pan American event she was third in the

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

and at the South American competition she was the runner-up in the

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, a ...

and bronze medallist over

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...

. She moved up in age category at the

2004 South American Under-23 Championships in Athletics The 1st South American Under-23 Championships in Athletics were held in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, at the Polideportivo Máximo Viloria on June 26–27, 2004. Participation A total of 310 athletes from 13 countries were announced to participate: ...

and took third over 1500 m and broke the Colombian national record in the steeplechase with a time of 10:24.09 minutes for second place. She traveled to Europe to compete at the

2004 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics The 2004 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics (''Spanish: XI Campeonato Iberoamericano de Atletismo'') was the eleventh edition of the international athletics competition between Ibero-American nations which was held at the Estadio Iberoameri ...

and ran a personal best of 9:36.86 minutes for the

3000 metres The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000m shoul ...

. Caballero's first senior medal came at the

2005 South American Championships in Athletics The 2005 South American Championships in Athletics were held at the Estadio Pascual Guerrero in Cali, Colombia from July 21 to July 24, 2005. Detailed day-by-day reports can be found on the IAAF website. Medal summary Men's events Women's e ...

held in

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...

, where she was the bronze medallist in the steeplechase. She repeated that feat at the

2005 Bolivarian Games The XV Bolivarian Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Bolivarianos'') were a multi-sport event held between 12–21 August 2005 in Armenia and Pereira, Colombia. Some events took place in Cartagena de Indias and in Bogotá. The Games were organized by the ...

. She never participated in international competition from 2006 to 2009 and re-emerged in 2010, focusing on longer distance races. She won a 5000 m and

double at the Colombian Championships in 2010.Yolanda Caballero
Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2012-04-01. She won the 5000 m bronze at the

2010 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics The 2010 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics (Spanish: ''XIV Campeonato Iberoamericano de Atletismo'') was an athletics competition which was held at the Estadio Municipal Bahía Sur in San Fernando, Cádiz, Spain from 4–6 June. A total ...

with a personal best run of 15:50.18 minutes. As national champion, she represented Colombia over the long-distance track events at the

. She became the CAC Games champion in the 10,000 m and was elevated to the silver medal in the 5000 m after the disqualification of Rachael Marchand. She began competing in

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ac ...

events towards the end of the year, placing second at the Medellín

with a run of 73:18 minutes (a Colombian record) and winning the Bogotá 12K.Yolanda Caballero ganó la Carrera de la Mujer
Barrios de Bogota. Retrieved on 2012-04-01. Caballero made her debut over the

distance at the

2011 Boston Marathon The 2011 Boston Marathon took place on Monday, April 18, 2011. Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya won the men's race in a time of 2:03:02. In recognizing Mutai's mark as the "fastest Marathon ever run", the International Association of Athletics Federations ...

and finished in eighth place with a time of 2:26:17 hours. This was unofficially a South American record (the course was downhill) and gained her selection for that event at the

. She ran a half marathon best of 72:35 minutes to take seventh at the

Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon The Philadelphia Distanced Run is an annual half marathon road running event which takes place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States on the third Sunday of September. The competition was established in 1978 as the Philadelphia Distan ...

. An appearance at the

saw her increase her track medal haul, as she placed third in the 10,000 m and also managed sixth in the 5000 m. She ran at the 2012

New York Half Marathon The New York City Half Marathon (branded as the United Airlines NYC Half) is an annual half marathon road running race from Brooklyn's Prospect Park to Manhattan's Central Park via the Manhattan Bridge, held since 2006. It passes through o ...

, but finished 26th in a high calibre field. She entered the marathon at the

2012 London 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 ...

, but failed to finish the race. Caballero began 2013 with a South American record run at the

NYC Half Marathon The New York City Half Marathon (branded as the United Airlines NYC Half) is an annual half marathon road running race from Brooklyn's Prospect Park to Manhattan's Central Park via the Manhattan Bridge, held since 2006. It passes through o ...

, completing the distance in 1:10:30 hours to take seventh place.Battaglia, Joe (2013-03-17)
Wilson Kipsang gives high octane performance at chilly NYC Half
IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-23.

Achievements

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Caballero, Yolanda Living people 1982 births Colombian female long-distance runners Colombian female marathon runners Colombian female steeplechase runners Sportspeople from Bogotá Athletes (track and field) at the 2011 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Colombia Pan American Games bronze medalists for Colombia Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Colombia Competitors at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games 20th-century Colombian women 21st-century Colombian women