Érick Barrondo

He won the silver medal at the Men's 20 km Racewalk in the 2012 Summer Olympics, the first and only Olympic medal in Guatemala's history.

Érick Barrondo

Erick Barrondo in 2023
Personal information
Nationality	Guatemalan
Born	(1991-06-14) 14 June 1991 (age 32) Chiyuc, San Cristóbal Verapaz, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Weight	60 kg (132 lb)
Sport
Country	Guatemala
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	20 km race walk 50 km race walk
Coached by	Chan Mata and Diego Cabrera
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Guatemala Olympic Games 2012 London 20 km walk Pan American Games 2011 Guadalajara 20 km walk 2015 Toronto 50 km walk
Updated on 24 December 2014.

He was born in Aldea Chiyuc in the municipality of San Cristóbal Verapaz, Alta Verapaz Department, Guatemala. Initially, Barrondo competed in long-distance running events, following in the footsteps of his parents. However, he sustained an injury and was introduced to racewalking as a method of recovering. He decided to give up running and focus on walking instead. He began working with Rigoberto Medina, a Cuban coach who had trained the 2003 Pan American champion Cristina López.

Barrondo made his international debut at the 2011 Pan American Race Walking Cup, where he claimed the silver medal in the 20 km with a time of 1:25:56 hours. Competing in the 2011 IAAF World Race Walking Challenge tour, he came in 13th at the Sesto San Giovanni race and then improved his personal best by over four minutes at the Dublin Race Walking Grand Prix, coming in fourth place with a time of 1:20:58 hours. As a result of this performance, he was selected to represent Guatemala at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, being one of only two entrants from his country, alongside fellow walker Jamy Franco. In the World Championships 20 km race, he came in tenth place with a time of 1:22:08 hours and was the second best performer from the Americas, behind Colombia's Luis Fernando López who came third.

At the 2011 Pan American Games in October, he and Jamy Franco completed a Guatemalan double in the men's and women's 20 km walks. Barrondo won the gold medal in a time of 1:21:51 hours, seeing off a challenge from World Championships medalist López. He walked to a personal best in the 20 km at the 2012 Memorial Mario Albisetti, taking third place in 1:18:25 hours.

2012 Summer Olympics

In the London Olympics of 2012 he won Guatemala's first ever Olympic medal. He came in the second place in the 20 kilometers race with the time of 1:18:57, just eleven seconds behind China's Chen Ding, who set a new Olympic record. In the 50 kilometers race he was disqualified by the judges.

Barrondo has participated in the Olympics of 2016 and 2020.

Personal life

After the world championships that took place in Moscow in August 2013, he married racewalker Mirna Ortiz.

Barrondo, the only Olympic medalists in Guatemala's history, is of indigenous descent. In April 2015 radio commentator Julio Reyes was widely criticized after making racist comments online regarding Barrondo's heritage.