Colombia’s gold medal-winning BMX rider, Mariana Pajon, received yet another award, as she is named one of the ‘best athletes in Latin America and the Caribbean’ for 2012.
Pajon shot to fame when she won Colombia’s only gold medal during the 2012 London Olympic Games, in the BMX event.
Since then, the Medellin-born rider has collected several awards, including this latest one recognizing stand-out performers in Latin America and the Caribbean over the last 12 months.
The Cuban news agency Prensa Latina chose the 21-year-old Colombian, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt and the Mexican soccer team as the top-three sporting performances of the year.
Colombia’s soccer star Radamel Falcao was mentioned as one of the ‘highlights of the year’, after the Atletico Madrid striker helped lead his club win the UEFA Super Cup and the Europa league.
This latest award for Pajon, comes after the Colombian newspaper El Espectador labeled her ‘Sportswoman of the Year’ in December. She was also immortalized in a short film and praised by President Juan Manuel Santos.
