Lina Esther Licona Torres (born 1 October 1998) is a Colombian sprinter. In 2024, she became national champion in the 400 metres.
Early and personal life From Boca de La Ceiba, near Montería in the Córdoba Department. Licona moved to Bogotá with her family in 2004. She attended high school at the Instituto Tecnisistemas. She was a speed skater prior to focusing on athletics when she was 16 years-old. She has a son, Eliam, born February 15, 2017. She suffered an injury to her Achilles tendon in 2020 that left her close to retirement.
Career She won a silver medal in the individual 400 metres at the 2019 South American Athletics Championships in Lima, Peru. She won a gold medal in the 4x400m relay at the championships.
She won gold in the womwn's 4x400m relay and bronze in the mixed 4x400m relay at the 2022 South American Games in Asunción, Paraguay.
She won double gold at the 2023 South American Athletics Championships in São Paulo, in the women’s 4x400m relay and the mixed 4x400m relay, in a South American record time.
She ran as part of the Colombian mixed 4x400m relay team at the 2024 World Relays Championships in Nassau. She won the International Grand Prix 400m race in Cuiabá, Brazil in May 2024, running a season best time of 52.28 seconds.
On June 20, 2024 Licona secured automatic qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games by winning the 400 metres at the Richard Boroto International Grand Prix in Quito, Ecuador in a time of 50.83 seconds. The following week, she won the Colombian Athletics Championships 400 metres race in a time of 51.68 seconds. She competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics over 400 metres in August 2024.
International competitions Representing 2018South American U23 ChampionshipsCuenca, Ecuador1st4 × 400 m relay3:35.50 CR2019South American ChampionshipsLima, Peru2nd400 m53.18 s 1st4 × 400 m relay3:32.81 Pan American GamesLima, Peru 11th 400 m 53.53 s6th 4 × 400 m relay3:33.022022South American GamesAsunción, Paraguay1st4 × 400 m relay3:31.30 3rdMixed relay3:22.872023Central American and Caribbean GamesSan Salvador, El Salvador8th 200 m 23.69 s4 × 100 m relayDQ 3rd4 × 400 m relay3:31.163rdMixed relay3:20.36South American ChampionshipsSão Paulo, Brazil1st4 × 400 m relay3:31.39 1stMixed relay3:14.79 , Pan American GamesSantiago, Chile200 mDQ6th 4 × 100 m relay44.79 s6th Mixed relay 3:23.17 2024World RelaysNassau, Bahamas19th (r) Mixed relay 3:21.29Ibero-American ChampionshipsCuiabá, Brazil 5th 200 m23.45 s 2nd4 × 400 m relay3:33.20Olympic GamesParis, France19th (r) 400 m 51.90 s2025South American ChampionshipsMar del Plata, Argentina4th 200 m 23.30 s w1st 4 × 400 m relay 3:33.292ndMixed relay 3:19.18Bolivarian GamesLima, Peru1st400 m51.83 s 1st4 × 400 m relay3:34.10 1stMixed relay3:20.082026 Ibero-American ChampionshipsLima, Peru2nd 400 m 51.42 s2nd 4 × 400 m relay 3:30.442nd Mixed relay 3:17.83Pan American ChampionshipsMedellín, Colombia 3rd 400 m 50.75 s1st4 × 400 m relay 3:29.49 2nd Mixed relay 3:15.36Central American and Caribbean GamesSanto Domingo, Dominican Republic7th400 m52.82 s2nd4 × 400 m relay 3:29.01 4th Mixed relay 3:16.60South American GamesSanta Fe, Argentina2nd400 m 52.38 s 1st4 × 400 m relay3:32.212ndMixed relay 3:17.78
References