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María Luisa Calle

María Luisa Calle is a Colombian cyclist who made history as the first Colombian to win an Olympic cycling medal, a bronze in 2004. She has had a highly successful career winning over 50 medals in cycling events including gold medals at the Pan American Games, World Championships, and South American Games. Her 2004 bronze medal was initially withdrawn after a positive drug test but was reinstated after she proved the positive result was due to medication for a headache. She is considered one of Colombia's most accomplished female athletes.

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60 views2 pages

María Luisa Calle

María Luisa Calle is a Colombian cyclist who made history as the first Colombian to win an Olympic cycling medal, a bronze in 2004. She has had a highly successful career winning over 50 medals in cycling events including gold medals at the Pan American Games, World Championships, and South American Games. Her 2004 bronze medal was initially withdrawn after a positive drug test but was reinstated after she proved the positive result was due to medication for a headache. She is considered one of Colombia's most accomplished female athletes.

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Meet María Luisa Calle, the Colombian cyclist who made history in sports.

Maria Luisa Calle Williams (1968) is one of the most known Medellin women in history due
to her outstanding and successful sporting career as a track cyclist. She shares the major
achievements in sports of Colombian women athletes along with the Olympic skater Cecilia
Baena, and the two-time Olympic gold medalist and BMX World Champion, Mariana Pajón.

María Luisa is a Colombian professional racing cyclist who is widely known for winning a
bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics. She also has excelled at the Track Cycling World
Championships, and in almost every cycling event she has participated in.

Early stages of Maria Luisa Calle's cycling career


In 1992, she began her professional career in mountain biking, in both Orgullo Paisa and
Bianchi cycling teams, obtaining several regional victories.

In 1995, she attended the Track World Championship where she finished in the penultimate
position. This event served as a motivation to improve, pushing her to become a
professional track cyclist.

After a few years, she entered the Colombian National Team, and in 1998 she won the gold
medal in Individual Pursuit at the Central American and Caribbean Games.

María Luisa Calle and The Olympics


Her first participation in the Olympic Games was in Sydney 2000, where she finished in 12th
place in Individual Pursuit and 11th in Points Race.

In Athens 2004, she finished 9th in Individual Pursuit, and got the outstanding Bronze Medal
in Points Race, obtaining the first Olympic Medal in cycling for Colombia. Her achievement
was tainted by controversy. A few days after the competition, the medal was withdrawn after
the anti-doping test was positive.

Nonetheless, in 2005 she recovered her medal after several months of legal struggle. She
proved to The Court of Arbitration for Sport she used neosaldine to treat a headache and
that this compound affected the results of the anti-doping test.

In an interview for Diners Magazine, the cyclist stated, ‘It was a mistake that marked my
career, but I wanted to show the world they were wrong.’ She also commented that the case
became clear once the International Olympic Committee gave her back the medal she won.
After that, she participated in Beijing 2008, getting the10th place in Individual Pursuit, and
4th in Points Race. In London 2012, she finished 16th in the Omnium category.

Other major achievements


She is one of the most awarded women in Colombia due to her performance in track cycling.
She won the gold medal at the 2001 Pan American Track Cycling Championship, 2001
Bolivarian Games, 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games, and the 2003 Pan
American Games.

María Luisa Calle also won the gold medals in the Track Scratch category at the 2006
World Cycling Championships; Individual Pursuit at 2007 Pan American Track Cycling
Championship, and also the Individual Time Trial and Individual Pursuit at 2010 South
American Games.

María Luisa Calle has won more than 50 medals during her extensive and successful
career, that’s why she’s one of the most relevant Medellin women in sports.

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