Mercedes Chilla López (born 19 January 1980) is a Spanish javelin thrower. She has represented Spain at two Summer Olympics (2004 and 2008) and has also competed at the World Championships in Athletics. Chilla is the Spanish record holder for the event, with a best mark of 64.07 metres, and has won medals at the Mediterranean Games and the Ibero-American Championships.
Career Chilla was born on 19 January 1980 in Jerez de la Frontera. She first reached the international podium at the 2003 Summer Universiade, where she took the bronze medal. She attended her first Olympic competition at the 2004 Athens Games and she was 22nd overall. In 2005, she enjoyed success at the regional level with another javelin bronze at the 2005 Mediterranean Games and she improved on her previous global competition performance with a fifteenth-place finish at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics.
Her 2006 season saw her gain a slew of European honours, starting with a bronze at the 2006 European Cup Winter Throwing and another third-place finish at the 2006 European Cup. She completed a trio of bronze medal performances by reaching the podium at the 2006 European Athletics Championships. She capped off a successful season with a personal best and Spanish record throw of 63.20 metres at the Herculis meeting in August 2006.
She suffered a number of injuries between 2008 and 2010, interrupting her international career, but she still managed ninth place at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and eleventh place at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. She took the javelin gold at the 2010 Ibero-American Championships in Cádiz, nearing her top form with a winning throw of 62.39 m.Valiente, Emeterio (2010-06-07). Murer vaults 4.85m Area Record as Cuba and Spain dominate in San Fernando – Ibero-American Championships report. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-06-07. Chilla improved her Spanish record the following week, throwing 64.07 m to win at the Liga de Clubes de División de Honor meeting in Valencia, Spain.Chilla bate su récord de jabalina. El Mundo (2010-06-12). Retrieved on 2010-06-23. This mark made her fifth in the world rankings and demonstrated her potential to return to the podium at the 2010 European Athletics Championships.'I am feeling the same way as I did four years ago, when I won the medal in Göteborg,' says Spain's Chilla . European Athletics (2010-06-23). Retrieved on 2010-06-23.
Achievements Representing 1998World Junior ChampionshipsAnnecy, France23rd (q)Javelin throw (old spec.)45.45 m1999European Junior ChampionshipsRiga, Latvia10thJavelin throw51.03 m2000Ibero-American ChampionshipsRio de Janeiro, Brazil 3rdJavelin throw55.99 m2001European U23 ChampionshipsAmsterdam, Netherlands2ndJavelin throw57.78 mUniversiadeBeijing, China6thJavelin throw53.32 mMediterranean GamesRadès, Tunisia6thJavelin throw51.44 m2002Ibero-American ChampionshipsGuatemala City, Guatemala4thJavelin throw57.74 m2003UniversiadeDaegu, South Korea 3rdJavelin throw55.94 m2004Ibero-American ChampionshipsHuelva, Spain5thJavelin throw54.34 mOlympic GamesAthens, Greece22nd (q)Javelin throw58.45 m2005Mediterranean GamesAlmería, Spain 3rdJavelin throw57.69 mWorld ChampionshipsHelsinki, Finland15th (q)Javelin throw58.38 m2006European Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 3rdJavelin throw61.98 m2007World ChampionshipsOsaka, Japan27th (q)Javelin throw53.64 m2008Olympic GamesBeijing, China9thJavelin throw58.13 m2009World ChampionshipsBerlin, Germany11thJavelin throw56.68 m2010Ibero-American ChampionshipsSan Fernando, Spain 1stJavelin throw62.39 mEuropean Championships Barcelona, Spain6thJavelin throw61.40 m2011World ChampionshipsDaegu, South Korea17th (q)Javelin throw58.34 m2014European ChampionshipsZurich, Switzerland10thJavelin throw57.91 m
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