Catalina Rozas: Chile’s Rising Hurdling Star

Catalina “Cata” Rozas is one of Chile’s most promising young track and field athletes, specializing in the 100-meter hurdles. At 18 years old, she currently ranks #332 in the world in the women’s 100m hurdles and is a national champion. With multiple South American medals and a trajectory that shows consistent improvement, Rozas represents the future of Chilean athletics on the international stage.

Track and Field Accomplishments

Sprint Hurdles Excellence

Rozas’s personal best in the 100-meter hurdles is 13.71 seconds, achieved in July 2024. In March 2025, she won the 100m hurdles at the Club Manquehue tournament in Santiago with a time of 13.86 (with 1.4 m/s wind), having recorded 13.75 in the preliminary rounds with favorable wind. She became national champion in 2024, winning the 100m hurdles title on the Mario Recordón track with 13.83 in the final, though she opened with an even better 13.79 in the semifinals.

Her best personal record came in April 2025 when she ran 13.75 at a competition in Mar del Plata, demonstrating her continued progression as an athlete.

Sprint Events

Beyond hurdles, Rozas has shown versatility in flat sprints. Her personal best in the 100 meters is 12.13 seconds, set in May 2025. In 2024, she set a new school record in the 100m flat at the Interescolar Final Ilse Barends Heck Soprole, winning gold with a time of 11.92 seconds, breaking an 11-year-old record previously held by fellow Saint George College athlete María Ignacia “Ina” Montt.

Multi-Event Background

Early in her career, Rozas also competed in high jump, with a personal best of 1.66 meters achieved in February 2022, showcasing her athletic versatility across different disciplines.

International Medal Success

South American Championships:

• Gold medal in the 100m hurdles with 13.65 at the 2022 South American U18 Championships in Brazil
• Silver medal in the 4x100m relay at the same championship
• Bronze medal in the mixed 8x300m relay at the 2022 South American U18 Championships
• Finished in the top 8 at South American Championships

Relay Success: Rozas holds a personal best of 46.06 in the 4x100m relay, which stands as a Chilean U20 national record, achieved in April 2024 in Sucre, Bolivia.

Recognition: In 2023, Rozas was honored at the Chilean Athletics Federation Gala, receiving recognition as an emerging athlete with projection, acknowledging her as one of Chile’s most promising young track and field stars.

Training and Development

At 18 years old, Rozas is currently based temporarily in Belgium, where she trains to gain international experience and access to high-level competition. She recently competed as a finalist in the 100m hurdles at the World Continental Bronze Tour in Maia, Portugal, demonstrating her commitment to competing against elite international competition.

Rozas works closely with Alemana Sport, a sports medicine and traumatology center, where she regularly undergoes post-competition recovery sessions with their kinesiology and massage therapy departments. She credits them as fundamental to her achievements and development as an athlete.

Educational Background

Rozas attended Saint George College in Chile, where she began her athletics career in third grade and joined the school’s track team in fifth grade. She completed her school education in 2024, closing her scholastic athletic career with record-breaking performances.

Career Aspirations

Rozas has set an ambitious goal to break the Chilean U20 record in the 100m hurdles, which stands at 13.48 seconds, set by Clara Marín Bascuñán in 2015 at the South American Youth Championships in Cuenca, Ecuador. With her current personal best of 13.71, she’s within striking distance of this national milestone.

Looking ahead to 2025, her calendar includes three key competitions in her category: the South American U20 Championships, the Pan American U20 Championships, and the Junior Pan American Games, where her goal is clear: “Obviously to look for a medal and to get a better mark”. She’s also not ruling out participation in the adult Bolivarian Games in December.

Beyond youth competitions, Rozas is already planning her transition to the U23 category, stating: “These would be next year’s competitions with the U23 category, South American and Pan American, in addition to all the adult competitions that will be on the calendar”, showing ambition and long-term vision.

When asked about her career projection, Rozas emphasized her youth and long-term perspective: “I’m not even 18 years old and I’m still in U20, and I want to go as far as possible, make my best marks, travel, compete for Chile and give my best in each race”.

Personal Interests and Motivations

Rozas is drawn to track and field for its individual nature, stating: “It’s a more individual sport. It’s you against the others, everything depends on you and that’s more adrenaline-filled”. This perspective reflects her competitive spirit and personal accountability in her athletic pursuits.

She was particularly excited about the renovation of the National Stadium track for the 2023 Pan American Games, expressing happiness at being able to compete on the remodeled circuit.

Sponsorships and Support

Rozas has been sponsored by Under Armour since 2022, making them her first major sponsor when she was just 15 years old. She expressed gratitude for their early confidence in her: “For me, having Under Armour is incredible. They were my first sponsor, and I loved that from such a young age they trusted me. I started with them in 2022 and we’re still going, so very happy”.

She also has partnerships with Alemana Sport and Gatorade Chile, reflecting her growing profile in Chilean athletics.

Personal Impact

As a young athlete representing Chile on the international stage, Catalina Rozas embodies the dedication and ambition of Chile’s next generation of track and field stars. Her consistent medal performances, record-breaking achievements, and commitment to international competition position her as one of the most exciting young hurdlers in South America. With several years remaining in youth categories and clear aspirations for senior-level competition, Rozas continues to develop her skills while proudly representing Chile at championships across the continent.

Go Cata!