Soraya Jiménez’s 44th Birthday

Google Dooles 15.08.2021 03:00  Date: August 5, 2021 Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Mexico-based guest artist , celebrates the 44th birthday of Mexican Olympic-champion weightlifter Soraya Jiménez, the first Mexican woman to ever win an Olympic gold. Soraya Jiménez Mendivil was born on this day in 1977 in Naucalpan de Juárez, Mexico. As a child, she swam competitively and played basketball and badminton but ultimately found her true athletic calling in weightlifting. She secured her first podium win at just 17 years old, placing third at the 1994 NORCECA Cup in Colorado Springs. In 1996, Jiménez earned her first major championship win at the Simón Bolívar International in Venezuela, where her performance proved her to be a serious contender on the international circuit. The years that followed were decorated with titles from across the Americas, which included a weight-class win in the Central American and Caribbean Games as well as a silver at the Pan American Games. A combination of 1999 championship wins at the NORCECA Cup, the Greek Tofalos International, and the Bulgarian National Championships established Jiménez as a favored front-runner heading into the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Jiménez’s athletic career reached its apex when she lifted a staggering total of 497 pounds, taking home the gold in the 58 kg class weightlifting event at the 2000 Summer Games. Although she retired in 2004, Jiménez continued to share her passion for sports as a broadcaster for Televisa, the world’s largest Spanish-language media company. Happy birthday, Soraya Jiménez—thanks for using your strength to make history! Early drafts and sketches of the Doodle below Location: Tags: , , , , ,