| Guatemala at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | GUA |
| NOC | Guatemalan Olympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 21 in 10 sports |
| Flag bearer | Ana Sofía Gómez[1] |
| Medals |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Guatemala competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's fourteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1952, despite failing to register any athletes in three other editions (1956 to 1964).
Guatemalan Olympic Committee (Spanish: Comité Olímpico Guatemalteco) confirmed a team of 21 athletes, 15 men and 6 women, to compete in 10 sports. It was the nation's largest delegation sent to the Olympics since 1996, surpassing the record of 19 athletes set in London 2012.[2]
Among the Guatemalan athletes, two of them returned for their third consecutive appearance in Rio de Janeiro: badminton player Kevin Cordón and Laser sailor Juan Ignacio Maegli. Other notable athletes also featured siblings Enrique and Hebert Brol in double trap shooting, long-distance freestyle swimmer Valerie Gruest, the youngest of the team (aged 17), and race walker Erick Barrondo, who emerged as the nation's first Olympic medalist in 2012. The most successful athlete of the Games, Barrondo was originally selected to carry the Guatemalan flag, but decided to focus on his training instead for the competition.[3] Artistic gymnast and Youth Olympian Ana Sofía Gómez took Barrondo's spot at the last minute to lead the team in the opening ceremony, the second female in history since swimmer Gisela Morales did so in 2004.[1]
Unlike the previous Games, Guatemala left Rio de Janeiro without a single Olympic medal. Among the Guatemalans competing at these Games, only Maegli improved upon his ninth-place feat from London 2012 to produce the best result for the team, finishing eighth in Laser sailing.[4]
- ^ a b "¡Oficial! Ana Sofía Gómez ocupará el lugar de Erick Barrondo" [Official: Ana Sofía Gómez occupies the place for Erick Barrondo] (in Spanish). Publisport.gt. 29 July 2016. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "Atletas guatemaltecos clasificados a los Juegos Olímpicos Rio 2016" [Guatemalan athletes qualified for the Rio Olympics] (in Spanish). El País de los Jóvenes. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- ^ "Gimnasta Ana Sofía Gómez portará la bandera de Guatemala en la inauguración" [Gymnast Ana Sofía Gómez will be Guatemala's flag bearer in the opening] (in Spanish). Colombia: W Radio. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- ^ "Maegli concluye su participación en el octavo puesto" [Maegli ends his participation in eighth place] (in Spanish). La Hora. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2016.