Soraya Jiménez: Google honors Mexican Olympic-champion on her 44th birthday

Happy birthday, Soraya Jiménez!

Today's Doodle celebrates the 44th birthday of Mexican Olympic-champion weightlifter Soraya Jiménez, the first Mexican woman to ever win Olympic gold. The doodle is illustrated by Mexico-based guest artist Carolina Martínez.

Soraya Jiménez participated in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney where she won a gold medal. Jiménez became the first-ever female athlete from Mexico to win an Olympic gold medal.

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. Her performance at the Simón Bolívar International 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 (128 lbs) 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. 

She died at age 35 on 28 March 2013 at her home in Mexico City after suffering a heart attack.

Thank You Soraya Jiménez for using your strength to make history! 

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