Colombia competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's nineteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics. The Colombian Olympic Committee () sent the nation's largest ever delegation to the Games, with 147 athletes, 74 men and 73 women, competing across 23 sports.
Colombia returned home from Rio de Janeiro with a total of eight medals (three gold, two silver, and three bronze), marking the nation's most successful outcome in Summer Olympic history based on the gold medal count. Moreover, it matched the overall medal tally from the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Two of these medals were awarded to the Colombian team in BMX cycling, boxing, and weightlifting, and one each in athletics and judo.
The nation's most significant highlight of the Games came from BMX rider Mariana Pajón, who successfully defended her title in the women's race and set a record as the first Colombian to receive two Olympic gold medals. Apart from Pajón, triple jumper Caterine Ibargüen, and weightlifting veteran Óscar Figueroa also helped the Colombians bring home more golds from Rio de Janeiro than ever before, with Figueroa becoming the first male from his country to top the podium at his fourth and final Olympics.
Boxers Yuberjen Martínez (men's light flyweight) and Ingrit Valencia (women's flyweight) brought home medals in their signature sport, last achieved at the 1988. Judoka and triple world titlist Yuri Alvear joined Pajon and freestyle wrestler Jackeline Rentería as the only Colombian women to win two Olympic medals, with a silver medal in the women's 70 kg division. The remaining medals went to BMX rider Carlos Ramírez in the men's race, and weightlifter Luis Javier Mosquera, who received the bronze in the men's 69 kg, following the disqualification of Kyrgyzstan's Izzat Artykov over a doping offense.
Medalists
| width=78% align=left valign=top |
Medal Name Sport Event Date Óscar Figueroa Weightlifting Men's 62 kg Caterine Ibargüen Athletics Women's triple jump Mariana Pajón Cycling Women's BMX Judo Women's 70 kg Yuberjen Martínez Boxing Men's light flyweight Luis Javier Mosquera Weightlifting Men's 69 kg Ingrit Valencia Boxing Women's flyweight Carlos Ramírez Cycling Men's BMX
| width="22%" align="left" valign="top" |
Medals by sportSport TotalCycling 1 0 1 2Weightlifting 1 0 1 2Athletics 1 0 0 1Boxing 0 1 1 2Judo 0 1 0 1 Total 3 2 3 8
Medals by genderGender TotalPercentageFemale 2 1 1 4 50%Male 1 1 2 4 50%Mixed 0 0 0 0 0% Total 3 2 3 8 100%
Competitors The Colombian Olympic Committee () confirmed a team of 147 athletes, 74 men and 73 women, to compete across 23 sports at the Games. It was the nation's largest ever delegation sent to the Olympics, breaking its previous record of 104 athletes set in London four years earlier.
Football (for both men and women) and women's rugby sevens were the only team-based sports in which Colombia qualified for the Games, with the men's football squad returning to the Olympic tournament for the first time in 24 years. For individual-based sports, Colombia marked its Olympic debut in golf (new to the 2016 Games) and synchronized swimming.
Track and field accounted for the largest number of athletes on the Colombian team by an individual sport, with 34 entries. There was a single competitor each in golf, sailing, shooting, and table tennis.
Eight of the nation's Olympic medalists from London 2012 returned, including defending champion Mariana Pajón in the women's BMX race, triple jumper Caterine Ibargüen, weightlifter and four-time Olympian Óscar Figueroa (men's 69 kg), judoka and triple world titleist Yuri Alvear (women's 70 kg), BMX rider Carlos Oquendo, professional road cyclist Rigoberto Urán, taekwondo fighter Óscar Muñoz (men's 58 kg), and freestyle wrestler Jackeline Rentería, who became the first Colombian woman in history to earn two Olympic medals. 50-year-old trap shooter Danilo Caro headlined the full roster of Colombian athletes by competing at his record fifth Olympics. Along with Figueroa, three Colombian athletes also vied for their fourth consecutive appearance, including race walker Luis Fernando López, backstroke swimmer Omar Pinzón, and weightlifter Ubaldina Valoyes (women's 75 kg).
18-year-old relay track sprinter Anthony Zambrano was Colombia's youngest competitor, with show jumper René Lopez rounding out the field as the oldest competitor (aged 52). Artistic gymnast Jossimar Calvo was initially selected through a nationwide online text-message voting to carry the Colombian flag, but forced to decline the honor due to his competition schedule on the first day of the Games. Instead, Alvear, who entered the Games with a bronze medal from London 2012 and three world titles, took over Calvo's spot at the last minute to lead the Colombian team at the opening ceremony.
| width=78% align=left valign=top | The following is the list of number of competitors participating in the Games. Note that reserves in fencing and football are not counted as athletes: SportMenWomenTotalArchery 1 3 4Athletics 18 16 34Boxing 4 1 5Cycling 11 4 15Diving 3 1 4Equestrian 2 0 2Fencing 1 1 2Football 18 18 36Golf 0 1 1Gymnastics 1 1 2Judo 0 2 2Rugby sevens 0 12 12Sailing 1 0 1Shooting 1 0 1Swimming 3 1 4Synchronized swimming 0 2 2Table tennis 0 1 1Taekwondo 1 1 2Tennis 2 1 3Weightlifting 5 4 9Wrestling 2 3 5 Total 74 73 147
Archery
Three Colombian archers qualified for the women's events after having secured a top eight finish in the team recurve at the 2015 World Archery Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark. Another Colombian archer also qualified for the men's individual recurve by obtaining one of the eight Olympic places available from the same tournament.
AthleteEventRanking roundRound of 64Round of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal / ScoreSeedOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankAndrés PilaMen's individual65443L 0–6Did not advanceCarolina AguirreWomen's individual60552L 0–6Did not advanceAna Rendón64118L 2–6Did not advanceNatalia Sánchez60948L 5–6Did not advanceCarolina AguirreAna RendónNatalia SánchezWomen's team185510colspan=2 L 3–5 Did not advance
Athletics (track and field)
Colombian athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event):
Track & road events Men AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankÉider Arévalo20 km walkcolspan=4 1:21:3615Bernardo Baloyes200 m20.788Did not advanceDiego ColoradoMarathoncolspan=4 2:31:20125Gerard Giraldocolspan=4 2:23:4888Luis Fernando López20 km walkcolspan=4 1:22:3229José Leonardo Montaña50 km walkcolspan=4 Diego Palomeque400 m46.486Did not advanceJames Rendón50 km walkcolspan=4 Yeison Rivas110 m hurdles13.872Did not advanceRafith Rodríguez800 m1:46.655Did not advanceAndrés RuizMarathoncolspan=4 2:22:0979Jorge Armando Ruiz50 km walkcolspan=4 3:51:4217Manuel Esteban Soto20 km walkcolspan=4 1:20:369Bernardo BaloyesCarlos LemosDiego PalomequeJhon PerlazaAnthony Zambrano 4 × 400 m relay3:01.846colspan=2 Did not advance
Women AthleteEventHeatQuarterfinalSemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRankErika AbrilMarathoncolspan=6 2:44:0573Sandra Arenas20 km walkcolspan=6 1:35:4032Kellys AriasMarathoncolspan=6 Yeseida Carrillo20 km walkcolspan=6 1:36:2838Muriel Coneo1500 m4:09.5010colspan=2 Did not advanceSandra Galvis20 km walkcolspan=6 Brigitte Merlano100 m hurdles13.095colspan=2 Did not advanceAngie OrjuelaMarathoncolspan=6 2:37:0543Eliecith Palacios100 mcolspan=2 11.485Did not advanceEvelyn Riveracolspan=2 11.596Did not advance
Field events AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionJhon MurilloMen's triple jump16.788 q17.09 5Mauricio OrtegaMen's discus throw61.6218Did not advanceCaterine IbargüenWomen's triple jump14.521 Q15.17Sandra LemosWomen's shot put16.4631Did not advanceFlor RuizWomen's javelin throw62.329 q61.549Yosiris UrrutiaTriple jump13.9520Did not advance
Combined events – Women's heptathlon AthleteEvent 200 m 800 mFinalRankEvelis AguilarResult13.841.7413.6024.126.2346.902:14.32626315Points1001903767969921800902
Boxing
Colombia has entered five boxers to compete in each of the following weight classes into the Olympic boxing tournament. Yuberjen Martinez, Jorge Vivas, and Ingrit Valencia had claimed their Olympic spots at the 2016 American Qualification Tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Juan Carlos Carrillo and Ceiber Ávila rounded out the Colombian roster at the 2016 APB and WSB Olympic Qualifier in Vargas, Venezuela.
AthleteEventRound of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinalOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankYuberjen MartínezMen's light flyweightW 3–0W 3–0W 2–1W 2–1L 0–3Ceiber ÁvilaMen's flyweightW 3–0L 0–3Did not AdvanceJorge VivasMen's middleweightL 1–2Did not AdvanceJuan Carlos CarrilloMen's light heavyweightW 3–0L 0–3Did not AdvanceIngrit ValenciaWomen's flyweightW W 3–0L 1–2Did not advance
Cycling
Road Colombian riders qualified for a maximum of five quota places in the men's Olympic road race by virtue of their top 5 final national ranking in the 2015 UCI World Tour. One additional spot was awarded to the Colombian cyclist in the women's road race by virtue of her top 100 individual placement in the 2016 UCI World Rankings. The men's road cycling team, headlined by world no. 5 rider Nairo Quintana and London 2012 silver medalist Rigoberto Urán, were named to the Olympic roster on 17 April 2016. However, Quintana stepped back, admitting that he decided to focus on the upcoming Vuelta a España instead.
AthleteEventTimeRankEsteban ChavesMen's road race6:13:3921Sergio HenaoDid not finishMiguel Ángel LópezDid not finishJarlinson PantanoDid not finishRigoberto UránMen's road raceDid not finishMen's time trialDid not startAna SanabriaWomen's road race4:01:2940
Track Following the completion of the 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, Colombian riders have accumulated five spots in both the men's and women's sprint, men's and women's keirin, and men's omnium, by virtue of their final individual Olympic rankings in those events. The full track cycling team was named to the Colombian roster for the Games on 6 July 2016.
Sprint AthleteEventQualificationRound 1Repechage 1Round 2Repechage 2QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinalTimeSpeed (km/h)RankOppositionTimeSpeed (km/h)OppositionTimeSpeed (km/h)OppositionTimeSpeed (km/h)OppositionTimeSpeed (km/h)OppositionTimeSpeed (km/h)OppositionTimeSpeed (km/h)OppositionTimeSpeed (km/h)RankFabián PuertaMen's sprint9.98172.13716 QLW 10.27270.093LLDid not advance9th place finalL10Santiago Ramírez10.19970.59523Did not advanceJuliana GaviriaWomen's sprint11.50562.58124Did not advance
Keirin AthleteEvent1st RoundRepechage2nd RoundFinalRankRankRankRankFabián PuertaMen's keirin2 Q3 Q5Martha BayonaWomen's keirin3 R1 Q10
Omnium AthleteEventScratch raceIndividual pursuitElimination raceTime trialFlying lapPoints raceTotal pointsRankRankPointsTimeRankPointsRankPointsTimeRankPointsTimeRankPointsPointsRankFernando GaviriaMen's omnium8264:26.64910223361:02.46943413.27310224111814
Mountain biking Colombia has qualified one mountain biker for the men's Olympic cross-country race, by virtue of a top two national finish, not yet qualified, at the Pan American Championships.
AthleteEventTimeRankJhonnatan Botero VillegasMen's cross-country1:35:445
BMX Colombian riders qualified for two men's and one women's quota place in BMX at the Olympics, as a result of the nation's seventh-place finish for men and fourth for women in the UCI Olympic Ranking List of 31 May 2016. Reigning Olympic champion Mariana Pajón, London 2012 bronze medalist Carlos Oquendo, and rookie Carlos Ramírez were named to the Colombian team at the conclusion of the World Championships on 29 May 2016.