Antonella “Anto” Solange Ojeda
Antonella Solange Ojeda, known affectionately as “Anto,” is a rising multi-event track and field athlete from Ushuaia, Argentina—the southernmost city in the world. Representing Tierra del Fuego province, she has established herself as one of Argentina’s most promising young combined events specialists, excelling in the heptathlon while also competing in individual events including the long jump, high jump, hurdles, shot put, and middle-distance races. Her remarkable versatility and dedication to athletics have made her a champion at the national level and a source of immense pride for her remote hometown.
Early Athletic Development
Antonella began her athletic journey at a young age in Ushuaia, training with the Escuela Municipal de Atletismo de Ushuaia (Municipal Athletics School of Ushuaia), part of the Instituto Municipal de Deportes (Municipal Sports Institute). She represents Centro de Galicia club in official competitions and has been coached throughout her career by Professor Lucas Doffo, with assistance from Professor Juliana Mateu. Her development has been supported by the Municipal Sports Institute under the leadership of President Guillermo Navarro and Vice President Ramiro Bravo.
Growing up in Ushuaia, located in Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of Argentina, presented unique challenges for a developing athlete. The city’s remote location means limited access to high-level competition facilities compared to athletes from Buenos Aires or other major Argentine cities. Despite these geographical challenges, Antonella’s dedication and the commitment of her coaches have enabled her to compete successfully at the national level, traveling thousands of kilometers to represent her province.
National Championships and Major Accomplishments
U16 (Cadete) Category Success
Antonella first made her mark on the national stage in the U16 (formerly Cadete) category for athletes aged 13-15. In May 2022, at the Copa Nacional de Clubes U16 “Braian Toledo” held at the Panamerican Stadium “Justo Román” in Mar del Plata, she captured the national championship in the high jump with a clearance of 1.40 meters. At this competition, which featured 473 athletes from 65 clubs across Argentina (totaling 1,235 individual participations), Antonella also finished fourth in the long jump with a leap of 4.92 meters (with a wind reading of +0.2 m/s) and seventh in the 80-meter hurdles with a time of 13.83 seconds, after placing second in her preliminary heat with 13.67 seconds.
Her performances earned her 16 points for Centro de Galicia, helping position the club 15th in the women’s classification at this prestigious national club competition. This event honored the memory of Braian Toledo, the Argentine javelin thrower who won gold at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.
U18 (Menores) Category Dominance
As Antonella progressed to the U18 category (formerly Menores, for athletes aged 16-17), her performances continued to improve dramatically. In June 2023, at the Copa Nacional U18 held in Concepción del Uruguay, she won the long jump with an impressive personal best of 5.31 meters, showcasing her explosive jumping ability.
Her most significant achievement came in July 2023 at the 56th National U18 Championship held at the Centro Nacional de Alto Rendimiento Deportivo (CeNARD) in Buenos Aires. Antonella crowned herself Argentine national champion in the long jump with a winning distance of 5.25 meters, achieved with a headwind of -0.6 m/s—a testament to her technique and power. At this same championship, she also finished sixth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.90 seconds in the final (after running 16.13 in her heat) and 12th in the high jump at 1.40 meters.
The following month in August 2023, Antonella had the honor of representing Argentina at the World School Games (Gimnasiada) Sub-15 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Selected by the Argentine Athletics Confederation’s Development Area for her outstanding evolution throughout 2022 and early 2023, she competed in the high jump (with a reference mark of 1.62 meters) and was part of the women’s 4×100-meter relay team alongside Buenos Aires athletes Milagros D’Amico, Celeste Molina, and Delfina Molina.
In recent competitions, Antonella has continued to demonstrate her prowess. At the September 2024 National U20 Championship in Rosario, competing up an age category as a U18 athlete, she earned a bronze medal in the high jump with a clearance of 1.56 meters. At the October 2024 Copa Nacional de Clubes U18, she finished as runner-up (silver medalist) in the shot put with a throw of 11.41 meters and also placed fourth in the long jump, despite suffering an injury that limited her to just one attempt.
Combined Events Excellence
Beyond her individual event successes, Antonella has established herself as a national champion in combined events. She won the U16 national pentathlon championship, demonstrating her versatility across the five events that comprise that discipline. She has also competed extensively in the heptathlon at the U18 level, with World Athletics recording personal bests that include performances in seven different events.
According to her World Athletics profile, her personal bests across heptathlon events include:
- Long Jump: 5.31 meters (June 24, 2023)
- High Jump: 1.56 meters (June 25, 2023, and May 11, 2024)
- 200 Meters: 29.29 seconds (May 11, 2024)
- 800 Meters: 2:56.72 (May 12, 2024)
Additional reference marks from various competitions include:
- Long Jump: 5.69 meters
- Shot Put (3kg): 11.63 meters
- 800 Meters: 2:25.73
- High Jump: 1.66 meters
These performances demonstrate her well-rounded athletic abilities across jumping, throwing, sprinting, hurdling, and middle-distance events—the hallmarks of an elite heptathlete.
Club and Team Representation
Antonella competes for the Asociación Civil y Deportiva Escuela Municipal (ACDEM) of Ushuaia, which has achieved impressive results at national club competitions. At recent Copa Nacional de Clubes competitions, the Ushuaia-based team finished seventh overall in the U18 category, a remarkable achievement for a club from such a remote location competing against powerhouse athletic programs from Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Córdoba, and other major Argentine provinces.
She has also represented Tierra del Fuego at various national championships and multi-sport competitions, carrying the flag for her province with distinction. Her performances have helped elevate Tierra del Fuego’s standing in Argentine athletics, as noted by IMD President Guillermo Navarro, who remarked that Ushuaia’s athletics program has progressed from being the last province in Patagonian competitions to now competing on equal footing with any selection from the Argentine and Chilean Patagonia.
Training and Support System
Antonella’s success is built on a foundation of dedicated coaching and strong institutional support. Her primary coach, Professor Lucas Doffo, has worked with her since her early years in athletics and continues to guide her development. Professor Juliana Mateu has also played a crucial role, accompanying Antonella to major competitions and contributing to her technical development.
Training in Ushuaia presents unique challenges due to the city’s location, climate, and limited access to high-altitude training facilities used by athletes from larger cities. However, the Municipal Athletics School has created an environment where young athletes can develop despite these obstacles. The school emphasizes not just athletic performance but also personal development, commitment, and a low-profile approach to success.
Antonella’s training regimen involves daily practice at municipal facilities in Ushuaia, with travel to competition sites several days in advance to adapt to different tracks and conditions. This approach has proven successful, as evidenced by her consistent performances at national championships held across Argentina.
International and Multi-Sport Competition Experience
Beyond traditional athletics championships, Antonella has gained valuable experience at multi-sport events:
2023 World School Games (Gimnasiada) – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Selected to represent Argentina at this prestigious international competition for athletes under 15, she competed in high jump and the 4x100m relay. The experience of competing against athletes from around the world at such a young age has contributed to her development and international exposure.
Juegos de la Araucanía (Araucania Games): Antonella has competed at these binational games between Argentina and Chile, which bring together athletes from Patagonian regions of both countries. Her participation in these games demonstrates her status as one of the region’s elite young athletes.
Juegos EPaDe (Provincial Games): She has been a consistent performer at these provincial-level games held in Tierra del Fuego, including competitions held in Ushuaia.
Juegos Evita: Antonella has participated in Argentina’s most important youth sports festival, which brings together young athletes from across the nation.
Recent Achievements and Current Status
As of 2024-2025, Antonella continues to compete at a high level in the U18 category. Her recent bronze medal performance in high jump at the 2024 National U20 Championship—competing up an age category—demonstrates her readiness to challenge older, more experienced athletes. At just 16-17 years old during most of her major achievements, she has shown remarkable maturity and competitive spirit.
Her performance at the October 2024 Copa Nacional de Clubes, where she won silver in shot put despite injury challenges in the long jump, showcases her resilience and ability to perform under difficult circumstances. These qualities will serve her well as she transitions to senior-level competition in the coming years.
According to World Athletics, she competes in multiple disciplines including: 800 meters, javelin throw (500g youth weight), heptathlon U18, 200 meters, 100-meter hurdles (76.2cm height), shot put (3kg), high jump, and long jump. This extensive event repertoire positions her as one of Argentina’s most versatile young athletes.
Recognition and Impact
Antonella’s achievements have brought recognition not only to herself but also to Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego province. In June 2022, she was officially received by Mayor Walter Vuoto at the Ushuaia City Hall alongside fellow athlete Renata Godoy, where they were honored for their national championship performances.
At this ceremony, Professor Lucas Doffo reflected on the progress of Ushuaia’s athletics program: “We remembered going to the Araucania Games years ago, and Tierra del Fuego was the last province. Beyond the effort, commitment, and work of the coaches and leaders over time, today the athletics of the city is on equal footing in the possibilities of podium finishes against any selection from Argentine and Chilean Patagonia. This is the result of the work and effort of the coaches and also the dedication and low profile of our athletes, who despite their young age, have an enormous commitment to the sport.”
IMD President Guillermo Navarro added that the Municipal Institute has become a major club in the city, nurturing athletes who go on to represent various clubs and federations across Argentina. Antonella exemplifies this development pathway, having started in the municipal program and progressed to national-level success.
Personal Background and Character
Antonella is known among her coaches and teammates for her dedication, work ethic, and mature approach to competition despite her young age. Coming from Ushuaia, a city of approximately 80,000 people located at the “end of the world,” she has had to develop mental toughness and self-discipline to succeed in a sport that requires extensive travel to compete against athletes from Argentina’s major urban centers.
Her coach Lucas Doffo has emphasized that her results reflect not just natural talent but consistent hard work and an unwavering commitment to improvement. Antonella’s ability to balance training, competition, and education while maintaining focus on her long-term athletic goals demonstrates maturity beyond her years.
As one of the few athletes from Tierra del Fuego competing at the national level in athletics, Antonella serves as an inspiration to younger athletes in her province, showing that geographic isolation need not be a barrier to achieving excellence in sport.
Looking Forward
At 16-17 years old (competing in the U18 category), Antonella is still in the early stages of her athletic career. Combined events athletes typically reach their peak performance in their mid-to-late twenties, suggesting that her best performances are still ahead of her. Her foundation of national championships in youth categories, combined with her technical development across seven different disciplines, positions her well for future success at the senior level.
As she transitions through the U20 (Junior) category and eventually to senior competition, she will face increasingly stiff competition from athletes with more years of training and physical development. However, her track record of success, strong coaching support, and proven ability to compete against older athletes suggest a promising future.
The next major milestones in her career will likely include competing at South American Youth Championships, Pan American U20 Championships, and eventually aiming for senior national team selection to represent Argentina at continental and world championships. Her versatility across multiple events gives her multiple pathways to success, whether focusing on individual jumping events or pursuing heptathlon competition at the highest levels.
Legacy and Significance
Antonella Ojeda represents more than just an individual athlete’s success story. She embodies the potential that exists in Argentina’s remote regions and demonstrates what can be achieved through dedication, quality coaching, and institutional support. Her achievements have helped put Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego on Argentina’s athletics map, inspiring a new generation of young athletes in Patagonia to pursue their dreams in track and field.
As she continues her athletic journey, Antonella carries with her the hopes and pride of Ushuaia—a city where, despite being thousands of kilometers from the nation’s capital and major training centers, world-class athletes can be developed through commitment, community support, and an unwavering belief in human potential.
Go Anto!
