Alegna González

Alegna Aryday González Muñoz (born 2 January 1999) is a Mexican racewalking athlete who competed in the women's 20 kilometres walk at the 2020 Summer Olympics and obtained 5th place. She has been designated by the press at the "Mexican racewalking princess" for her success at a young age.[2]

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is González and the second or maternal family name is Muñoz.

Alegna González
Personal information
NationalityMexican
Born (1999-01-02) 2 January 1999
Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico
Height1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)[1]
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)Racewalking
Coached byIgnacio Zamudio
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Mexico
Central American Championships
Gold medal – first place2020 San José10,000 m walk
World U20 Championships
Gold medal – first place2018 Tampere10,000 m walk
World Team Championships (U20)
Gold medal – first place2018 Taicang10 km walk
Pan American U20 Championships
Gold medal – first place2017 Trujillo10,000 m walk
Pan American Race Walking Cup (U20)
Gold medal – first place2017 Lima10 km walk

Career

González began training in the sport of athletics while in primary school, coached by her two uncles who had themselves been marathon runners.[3][4] She often practiced in the evening due to the extreme heat.[3] González was spotted by Ignacio Zamudio at the 2015 Olimpiada Nacional (National Olympics), who was impressed by her technique and offered to coach her.[3] In May 2017, González won the 10,000 metre under-20 (U20) track race at the 18th Pan American Race Walking Cup in Peru.[5] She returned to the country a few months later for the 2017 Pan American U20 Athletics Championships, where she won gold in the 10,000 metre track race with a championship (and national U20) record time of 44:43.89.[6]

González broke her own continental U20 (road) record with a time of 45:08 to win gold in the junior 10 km race at the 2018 World Race Walking Team Championships.[7][8] She then won a gold medal in the 10,000 metre event at the 2018 World U20 Championships in Finland with a time of 44:13.88,[9] setting a new continental U20 record on the track as well.[10] For her performances that year, González was given the National Award for Sport for her performances that year.[11] She was also invited to the IAAF International Gala in Monaco.[12] González was the first Mexican athlete to attend since Ana Guevara in 2002.[13]

In April 2019, González finished second in the 20 km event at the Poděbrady Race Walking Meet with an Olympic standard time of 1:30:21, becoming the first Mexican athlete to secure her spot at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[14] However, she suffered a knee injury that forced her to miss that year's Summer Universiade, Pan American Games and World Championships.[15][16][17] She had qualified for all three events but ultimately decided to undergo surgery in June to ensure a full recovery.[17] After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, González had to wait until December 2020 to compete again.[18] In her return to competition, she captured the gold medal at the Central American Championships in Costa Rica in a time of 45:27.26 in the 10,000 m walk.[18]

González opened her 2021 season by winning the 20 km race at the Costa Rican Race Walking Championships in 1:34:02 as an invited guest.[1] In June she set a new personal best in the discipline at the Gran Premio Cantonés de La Coruña in Spain, recording a time of 1:28:40 for a second-place finish.[19] The following week, González won the Mexican national title in the 10,000 m walk.[20] At the delayed 2020 Olympic Games, she placed fifth in the women's 20 kilometres walk with a time of 1.30:33.[21]

González placed fourth in the 20 km event at the 2022 World Race Walking Team Championships in Muscat, narrowly missing out on the podium with a time of 1:32:45.[22] She captured another national title, this time in the 20 km walk, to qualify for the 2022 World Championships.[23]

Personal life

González grew up with a single mother in Ojinaga, Chihuahua.[3] She moved from Ojinaga to Mexico City at the age of 16 to further her athletic development.[3]

Achievements

All information taken from World Athletics profile.[24]

Personal bests

Track walk

Road walk

International competitions
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  Mexico
2017 Pan American Race Walking Cup (U20) Lima, Peru 1st 10 km road walk 45:17
Pan American U20 Championships Trujillo, Peru 1st 10,000 m track walk 44:43.89
2018 World Race Walking Team Championships (U20) Taicang, China 1st 10 km road walk 45:08
World U20 Championships Tampere, Finland 1st 10,000 m track walk 44:13.88
2020 Central American Championships San José, Costa Rica 1st 10,000 m track walk 45:27.26
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 5th 20 km road walk 1:30:33
2022 World Race Walking Team Championships Muscat, Oman 4th 20 km road walk 1:32:45

National titles
  • Mexican Athletics Championships
    • 10,000 metres walk: 2021
    • 20 km walk: 2022

References
  1. "Con el pie derecho". Diario.mx (in Spanish). 22 February 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  2. Baxter, Kevin (31 July 2021). "Cómo México evitó la vergüenza olímpica al convertirse en una potencia de marcha". The San Diego Union-Tribune (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  3. Pereyra, Beatriz (10 March 2019). "Alegna González, el éxito detrás de la soledad". Proceso (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  4. "Alegna González: Who is she and what was her walk to get to the Tokyo Olympics". Infobae. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  5. Hernández, Iván (24 July 2017). "La mexicana Alegna González regresa al Perú en pos de un nuevo oro". El Dictamen de Ojinaga (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  6. Carrión, Álex (24 July 2017). "Oro y récord panamericano de Alegna González". El Diario de Juárez (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 February 2022 – via PressReader.
  7. "Gonzalez takes U20 women's 10km gold at IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018". World Athletics. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  8. "Mexicana Alegna González también gana oro en China". El Imparcial (in Spanish). 5 May 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  9. "Mexicana Alegna González se corona en Mundial de Atletismo Sub-20". El Informador (in Spanish). 14 July 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  10. "Briana Williams wins World U20 sprint double". Athletics Weekly (in Spanish). 14 July 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  11. "Alegna González: "El Premio Nacional de Deportes es una motivación extra para mí"". Marca (in Spanish). 7 November 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  12. "Alegna González luce en Gala Internacional 2018". El Informador (in Spanish). 8 December 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  13. "Alegna González consolidó un 2018 lleno de triunfos". Récord (in Spanish). 23 December 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  14. "Alegna González da marca para Juegos Olímpicos". Récord (in Spanish). 6 April 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  15. Reyes, Héctor (15 May 2019). "Alegna González se someterá a estudios debido a una lesión". Esto.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  16. "Alegna González no irá al Mundial". La Jornada (in Spanish). 21 August 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  17. Juárez, Sergio (21 September 2019). "Alegna González, lista tras operación de rodilla". El Heraldo de Chihuahua (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  18. "Alegna González culmina el 2020 con primer lugar en Campeonato de Atletismo". Mugs Noticias (in Spanish). 30 December 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  19. "Esperanza de medalla: Alegna González, a poner en alto la marcha mexicana". El Financiero (in Spanish). 5 August 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  20. Ángeles, Sergio Adrián (13 June 2021). "Concluye el Campeonato Nacional de Atletismo con optimismo para marchistas mexicanos". Marca Claro (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  21. "Alegna González rasguñó medalla en la marcha de 20 kilómetros". ESPN (in Spanish). 6 August 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  22. "Alegna González cierra Mundial de Marcha como segunda mejor de América". lacapital.com.mx (in Spanish). 6 March 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  23. "Chihuahuenses, con boleto al Mundial". Diario.mx (in Spanish). 3 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  24. Alegna González at World Athletics


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