Gymnast Ángel Barajas made history on July 27 as the first Colombian to qualify for the final of artistic gymnastics at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Barajas stood out for his performance on the horizontal bar.
The athlete is from Norte de Santander, a department in the north east of Colombia, which shares a border with Venezuela. Seventeen-year-old Barajas has been described by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) as “the most fascinating gymnast that has emerged from any South American country in recent years,” according to the Olympics.com website.
As the only Colombian athlete competing in men’s artistic gymnastics, Barajas placed sixth in the Parallel Bars discipline with 14,700 points; 6,700 due to difficulty, and 8,000 because of execution.
This was not enough for Barajas to qualify for the finals, but the gymnast shone in the Horizontal Bar discipline, where he placed sixth with 14,466 points; 6,700 due to difficulty, and 7,766 due to execution. His score placed him only 667 points away from first placed Boheng Zhang, representing China
Before qualifying for the Paris Olympic Games, the gymnast came fourth at the Apparatus World Cup 2024 in Doha. At the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships in Turkey, Barajas ranked third in Horizontal Bar, second in All-Around, and first in the Floor Exercise and Parallel Bars.
Ángel Barajas: An Olympian’s Life
Ángel Barajas was born in a low-income neighborhood of Norte de Santander’s capital, Cúcuta. He told El Tiempo that he fell in love with gymnastics at a young age. In fact, his mother told the publication that he liked to copy the jumps he saw on LazyTown, a popular children’s TV show. Among the show’s characters was Sportacus, a hero played by Icelandic gymnast Magnús Scheving, who became Barajas’ main inspiration.
Although his mother took him to the city’s gym, he did not enjoy it at first because he was the only boy to practice the sport. “I didn’t like it because it was only girls who trained, which is why I didn’t come back,” he told El Tiempo. Regardless, he kept practicing at home and eventually, he went back. There, he Jossimar Calvo, a key figure in Colombian gymnastics.
Barajas’ mother, Angélica María Vives, raised the athlete as a single parent. His family’s support helped Barajas continue with his gymnastics training. “I work hard every day because my dream is to buy my own house and help my family, like they have helped me,” he told El Tiempo.
What’s next?
Beyond his stellar career in sports, Barajas has prioritized his academic success too. In fact, he currently studies virtually at the Bogotá-based Kuepa EduTech institution, which allows him flexibility in his studies while preparing for championships, tournaments, and the Olympics.
Barajas will be representing his country at the Men’s Horizontal Bar final on August 5 at 6:33 am Colombia time.
