Mariandree Chacon Mariandree Chacon, a Guatemalan track and field athlete, stands on grass by a running track, smiling outdoors in sunlight.

Mariandree Chacon sprints on a blue track in a green uniform with pink shoes and a race bib. Tents and fence in Guatemala event.

Mariandree Chacon Mariandree Chacon, a track and field athlete from Guatemala, poses joyfully in a colorful bikini by a large tree.

Mariandree Chacon sits in a colorful bikini on a stone bench beneath a tree, one arm raised, sunlight filtering through leaves.

Mariandree Chacon Mariandree Chacon in a colorful swimsuit sits on a ledge under a tree, smiling; sun dapples leaves and background tables.

Mariandree Chacon, a female sprinter from Guatemala, mid-stride in athletic gear on an outdoor track, race bib CHACON, tents and spectators behind.

Mariandree Chacon Mariandree Chacon poses outdoors in a colorful bikini before a large tree, hands on hips, looking to the side.

Mariandree Chacon Guatemalan track and field athlete Mariandree Chacon smiles on an outdoor field in a white JU crop top and shorts.

Mariandree Chacon Mariandree Chacon, a track and field athlete from Guatemala, smiles and poses on one leg by a night-lit running track.

Mariandree Chacon A woman in a light crochet dress and sandals stands on a sidewalk, hand on a black pole, with palm trees and cars behind her.

Mariandree Chacon Mariandree Chacon, a Guatemalan track and field athlete, in a patterned bikini on sand near a wooden fence and palm trees.

Mariandree Chacon stands on a beach in a white and blue bikini by a wooden fence, lush plants behind her, beneath the clear sky.

Mariandree Chacon A young woman, Mariandree Chacon, in a cream crochet dress smiles holding a pole on a lively Guatemala city sidewalk.

Mariandree Chacon A female track and field athlete from Guatemala, wearing number 171 and GUA, stands on a track facing colorful stadium seats.

Mariandree Chacon Guatemalan track and field athlete Mariandree Chacon, in black with bib 994, smiles near a track at sunset, scoreboard and US flag behind.

Mariandree Chacon A smiling female athlete, Mariandree Chacon from Guatemala, in black racing outfit and red bib 994 outdoors by a scoreboard.

Mariandree Chacon Mariandree Chacon, a Guatemalan track athlete, smiles by a carved door in a GUA crop top and matching blue shorts.

Mariandree Chacon Mariandree Chacon, a female track athlete from Guatemala, smiles on a blue track and leans on yellow railings.

Mariandree Chacon, a young athlete from Guatemala in a green and black uniform, smiles by a white wall with hoop earrings and race bib.

Mariandree Chacon Guatemalan track and field athlete Mariandree Chacon stands smiling on a stadium walkway at night, in a white crop top and blue shorts, with empty seats beside her and a lively crowd in the background.

Mariandree Chacon A young woman with shoulder-length dark hair takes a selfie. She wears a white shirt with Olympic rings and gold hoops.

Mariandree Chacon Mariandree Chacon in a Guatemala sports top and black leggings sits on a blue track beside starting blocks.

Mariandree Chacon Mariandree Chacon, a Guatemalan track and field athlete, smiles over her shoulder by a carved door in GUA gear.

Mariandree Chacon smiles outside in sunlight, dark hair tied back, blue floral swimsuit, hoop earrings, flower tattoo, curtains behind.

Mariandree Chacon Mariandree Chacon, from Guatemala, in a white and green JU uniform, smiles indoors with sunlight behind her, ready for track.

Mariandree Chacon Mariandree Chacon, from Guatemala, smiles outdoors in a blue floral bikini, holding her ponytail by white blinds.

Mariandree Chacon A female track and field athlete from Guatemala in a JU uniform stands indoors, sunlight on her face; trophies behind.

Mariandree Chacon Mariandree Chacon stands in a tiled pool in sunglasses and a blue bikini, holding a phone; palm trees and resorts behind.

Mariandree Chacon A track and field athlete from Guatemala in white and green takes a mirror selfie, wearing race bib 687 and a white arm sleeve.

Mariandree Chacon Mariandree Chacon sits smiling outdoors in a blue and white floral bikini, one arm raised, relaxed after training.

Mariandree Chacon A woman in a bikini stands on a Guatemalan beach, arms raised to the sunset-lit ocean, waves rolling in, clouds above.

Mariandree Chacon, a young woman, sits on a bed in a JU tank top and green shorts, hand raised, with hoop earrings and JAX tattoo.

Mariandree Chacon stands in front of a wooden door taking a mirror selfie, smiling in a GUATEMALA crop top and navy bottoms.

Mariandree Chacon in athletic wear with JU on her top sits confidently on a hotel bed, one arm raised, long dark hair, bold makeup.

Mariandree Chacon Mariandree Chacon, a female track athlete from Guatemala, stands on a track between lanes 3 and 2 with arms raised, smiling.

Mariandree Chacon A smiling track and field athlete from Guatemala poses by a gray wall in a green striped jersey, black shorts, Olympic rings tattoo visible.

Mariandree Chacon stands in a bathroom mirror selfie, smiling and pointing at her GUATEMALA crop top; pink bag on counter.

Mariandree Chacon A woman with long dark hair, hoop earrings, and a white GUATEMALA top poses indoors, looking at the camera neutrally.

Mariandree Chacon A track and field athlete, Mariandree Chacon from Guatemala in green JU uniform holds a Gatorade bottle on an indoor track, with three other female athletes behind her.

Mariandree Chacon, a smiling track and field athlete from Guatemala, poses outdoors in a green striped tank top and black shorts.

Mariandree Chacon A young woman in a GUATEMALA crop top and shorts smiles, taking a mirror selfie in a bedroom with wooden furnishings.

Mariandree Chacon Mariandree Chacon, a Guatemalan track athlete, stands in a navy GUATEMALA suit, smiling with running shoes on her shoulder.

Mariandree Chacón

Sprints (100m / 200m) | Guatemala | Jacksonville University

Guatemala’s Fastest: The Story of Mariandree Chacón

On the morning of August 2, 2024, at the Stade de France in Paris, Mariandree Chacón walked to the starting blocks for the preliminary round of the Olympic 100-meter dash. She was 19 years old, a rising junior at Jacksonville University in Florida, and the only female track and field athlete that Guatemala had sent to the Games. It was a historic moment on multiple levels — not just for Chacón personally, but for her country, which had not had a woman compete in the Olympic 100 meters in 52 years. The last had been Christa Schumann-Lottmann at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

That morning in Paris was a long time in the making. Chacón had been building toward it since she was a teenager competing in international youth championships from a small municipality in the Zacapa Department of eastern Guatemala. Her path — from Huité to the world stage — is a story about speed, persistence, and the kind of quiet national pride that drives an athlete to keep improving year after year.

Background: Huité, Zacapa, Guatemala

Mariandrée Chacón was born on November 6, 2004, in Huité, a municipality in the Zacapa Department of eastern Guatemala. Zacapa is a region known for its dry, warm climate and its agricultural character — a place shaped more by cattle ranching and sugarcane than by athletics infrastructure. It is not the kind of environment that typically produces Olympic sprinters, which makes Chacón’s trajectory all the more striking.

She is the daughter of Julio César Chacón and Mélida Aroche. Her secondary schooling took place at Colegio San Francisco Javier De Zacapa, the Jesuit-affiliated institution that serves the city of Zacapa. It was during these formative years that her speed became evident, and the national athletic federation took note of a young sprinter who was doing things that few Guatemalan girls had done before.

The Youth Career: Rising Through Central America (2020–2022)

2020 Central American Championships — A Teenager Announces Herself

Chacón burst onto the international scene at the 2020 Central American Championships in Athletics while still in her mid-teens. Competing against senior-level athletes from across the region, she won the 100 meters outright and finished runner-up in the 200 meters. It was an extraordinary double for an athlete so young, and it immediately positioned her as one of the most promising sprinters in Central American athletics.

2021 — A Defining Championship Season

The following year was even more productive. At the 2021 Central American Championships in Athletics, Chacón repeated her 2020 performance, again winning the 100 meters and finishing second in the 200. Two consecutive championship seasons with gold in the 100 for a 16-year-old was a clear signal that something special was developing in the Zacapa region.

She wasn’t done for the year. In July 2021, Chacón competed at the NACAC Under-18 Championships, placing third in the 100 meters and second in the 200 meters against the best youth sprinters in North and Central America and the Caribbean. Her performance across both events — podium finishes at an age-group regional championship while still in secondary school — confirmed that she had the range to compete seriously at the continental level.

She closed out her 2021 championship campaign at the U20 Pan American Games, where she qualified for and competed in both the 100 meters and 200 meters finals. She placed eighth in the 100 and sixth in the 200 — results that, for a 16-year-old competing in an under-20 competition, reflected genuine promise. She was younger than the vast majority of her competitors and was already making finals on the biggest youth stage in the Americas.

2022 — National Record and the Triple at Central Americans

In 2022, with a Division I scholarship to Jacksonville University already secured, Chacón put together what may have been her finest individual season to that point. At the Central American Championships in Athletics, she swept the sprints — winning gold in both the 100 meters and the 200 meters — and added a bronze medal by anchoring Guatemala’s 4×100 relay. The triple medal haul established her not just as Guatemala’s best sprinter, but as a legitimate multi-event force across the short sprint events in Central American competition.

That same year, Chacón also set a national record in the 100 meters for the U22 age group, posting a time of 11.66 seconds. It was a mark that reflected not just her raw speed but her growing technical maturity as a sprinter. At 17 years old, she was already running times that would not be broken — by herself — for three more years.

Collegiate Career: Jacksonville University (2022–Present)

About the Program

Jacksonville University is a private liberal arts university on the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida, competing at the NCAA Division I level in the Atlantic Sun (ASUN) Conference. The Dolphins’ track and field program, under the direction of Head Coach Diego Vela, has developed a strong tradition of international athlete recruitment and competitive relay units. It was a natural destination for Chacón: a program that could support her dual life as a collegiate competitor and a Guatemalan national team athlete, in a warm-weather state well-suited to year-round sprint development.

Freshman Year (2022–2023)

Chacón made her collegiate debut in the indoor season of January 2023, competing in the 60 meters and 200 meters in a series of Florida invitational meets. From the outset, she was clearly one of the most talented sprinters in the ASUN Conference. At the South Carolina Invitational in early February, she placed in the top three in the 60 meters. At the Florida University Invitational, she matched that performance again with a top-five 60 meters and a strong 200.

By early April, Chacón was making her mark outdoors. At the Embry-Riddle Spike’s Classic, she ran 11.42 seconds in the 100 meters — a time that placed her first in the field and made her the number-one ranked 100 meters sprinter in the entire ASUN Conference. It earned her the ASUN Freshman of the Week award, her second such honor of the season. Her coach, Diego Vela, was effusive in his assessment: “Mariandree showed that she is healthy and ready to run fast times. After analyzing Friday’s semi-finals race, she made some adjustments and came back on Saturday to execute a better race. Her hard work and dedication are paying off.”

At the ASUN Outdoor Track and Field Championships in May 2023, Chacón placed third in the 200 meters and also competed in the 100 meters, finishing among the top performers in the conference. In the relay, she contributed to Jacksonville’s 4×400 team. She also qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round in the 100 meters — a legitimate achievement for a freshman — where she ran 11.75 seconds, competing against some of the best sprinters in the eastern United States.

Her first season also saw strong showings at the UNF East Coast Relays, where she ran 23.72 in the 200 meters — one of her faster 200 meter marks of the season.

Summer 2023: World U20 Championships

Following her freshman year, Chacón returned to the international stage, representing Guatemala at the World Athletics U20 Championships. Competing against the best junior athletes in the world, she finished in the top 20 — a result that spoke well of her ability to perform on the grandest youth stage in the sport. Her wind-aided 11.48 in the 100 meters that summer remains one of the faster times of her young career.

Sophomore Year (2023–2024): Conference Champion and Olympic Qualifier

Chacón’s sophomore season was the one that changed everything. The indoor campaign showed steady improvement — she placed fourth in the 200 meters at the ASUN Indoor Championship in February 2024, ran a personal best 300 meters of 40.92 in January at the Jimmy Carnes Invitational, and helped Jacksonville’s 4×400 relay claim the ASUN Indoor Championship gold medal.

The outdoor season produced the moments that put her name in front of a national audience. At the ASUN Outdoor Track and Field Championships in May 2024, Chacón was part of a Jacksonville 4×100 relay squad that posted a time of 44.32 — tying the ASUN Championship record, breaking the facility record, and securing the conference title. The team then went on to compete at the NCAA East First Round in Lexington, Kentucky, where they ran 44.31 — the best relay split of Chacón’s collegiate career up to that point.

Individually, Chacón qualified for the ASUN Championships in the 100 meters and placed fifth in the 200 meters. The relay also earned All-ASUN Conference First Team honors for the 4×100 and 4×400 units.

Then, in June 2024, competing at the Central American Championships in El Salvador, she finished second in the 200 meters. That result, combined with her overall competitive record, positioned her for something that would define her 2024 summer.

The Paris Olympics — August 2024

In July 2024, Jacksonville University announced that Mariandree Chacón had been named to Guatemala’s Olympic roster for the Paris Summer Games. She had been selected via a universality place — a provision by World Athletics that allows countries lacking automatic qualifiers to send one athlete per event — to compete in the women’s 100 meters. The weight of the moment was immediately clear: she would be the first female track athlete from Guatemala at the Olympics in 52 years, and the only female track and field representative her country was sending to Paris.

JU Director of Track and Field Bambi Brundage spoke to the achievement with evident pride: “Her journey has been a testament to her perseverance and hard work. This achievement is not just a reflection of her talent but also of her relentless effort and resilience. I am thrilled and excited to see her compete on the Olympic Stage.”

Chacón herself was characteristically grateful and grounded in her response. “It is very exciting to know that I will compete in the Olympic Games because it is the largest stage where an athlete can participate,” she said. “Representing my country is a great joy. I am grateful for God, my family and my coaches. We each play an important role in this process. I am also grateful for the Jacksonville University track and field program for helping me in this journey, shaping me as a person, athlete and student.”

On August 2, 2024, at the Stade de France, Chacón took her place in the starting blocks for the preliminary round of the women’s 100 meters. She ran 11.90 seconds, placing third in her heat and advancing to the first round proper. In the first round, she placed ninth in a time of 12.06, which ended her Olympic competition. For a 19-year-old making her Olympic debut, competing on the biggest track in the world in front of tens of thousands of spectators, the experience was priceless — and the knowledge that she had now raced against the best in the world gave her a reference point that few athletes at her level ever get this early in their careers.

She was also the first Jacksonville Dolphin track and field athlete ever to compete at an Olympic event — a distinction that added an institutional dimension to what was already a remarkable personal achievement.

Junior Year (2024–2025)

Returning to Jacksonville for her junior season with Olympic experience in her pocket, Chacón continued her development steadily. The indoor season saw her compete in the 60 meters, 200 meters, and 300 meters, with a 6th-place finish in the 200 at the ASUN Indoor Championships in February 2025.

The outdoor season brought continued growth. She competed at the Tom Jones Invitational — one of the premier collegiate invitational meets in the country, held at the University of Florida — and at multiple high-level meets across the Florida and southeast circuit. At the 2025 ASUN Outdoor Track and Field Championship in May, she placed seventh in the 100 meters and fourth in the 200 meters, running 23.76 — one of her cleaner 200 meter marks of the collegiate season. She earned Outdoor All-ASUN Conference First Team honors again in the relay events, and All-ASUN Third Team recognition in the 200 meters.

The summer of 2025 was productive internationally. In August 2025, Chacón ran 23.19 seconds in the 200 meters — the legal performance best of her career at the time — a mark that reflected a meaningful step forward in her primary event.

Then, in October 2025, at the 2025 Central American Games hosted in Guatemala City, Chacón delivered on home soil in front of her own country’s fans. She ran 11.66 seconds in the 100 meters, equaling her national record for the U22 category and setting a new Central American Games record in the process. The performance — described by Guatemalan sports media as a historic achievement for Guatemalan athletics — confirmed her status as the dominant female sprinter in the Central American region. She also ran 23.54 in the 200 meters at the same Games, setting a new Guatemalan national record in that event.

Senior Year (2025–2026): Closing Out in Style

Now a senior in her final collegiate season, Chacón has continued to compete at a high level for Jacksonville in what is shaping up to be an important closing chapter. The indoor season in early 2026 showed considerable sharpening in her sprint profile. At the 2026 ASUN Indoor Track and Field Championships in late February, she ran 23.75 in the 200 meters — a personal best indoors — placing second in the final after winning the preliminary round in 23.83. She also clocked a personal best of 7.57 in the 60 meters at the same championships, placing sixth.

The outdoor season has opened well. At the UCF Knight Invite in late March 2026, Chacón ran 23.69 in the 200 meters — her fastest legal performance of the 2026 season — placing 11th in a competitive field. She also clocked 11.49 in the 100 meters at the same meet. She was subsequently named the ASUN Track Athlete of the Week following that performance, her first such weekly honor of the 2025–26 academic year.

At the Pepsi Florida Relays in early April 2026, she continued her outdoor campaign with times of 11.65 in the 100 and 24.11 in the 200 meters. The relay unit also competed, with the 4×100 squad pursuing continued qualification opportunities as the outdoor season builds toward the ASUN Championships.

Athletic Profile and Personal Bests

Chacón is a pure sprinter with her primary specialization in the 100 and 200 meters. She is powerful off the blocks and carries her speed well through the curve, which explains her particular strength in the 200 — an event where she has consistently improved over her four collegiate years.

Her career personal bests and major marks include:

100 Meters: 11.42 (Embry-Riddle Spike’s Classic, April 2023; wind-aided) / 11.48 legal (international, July 2023)
100 Meters: 11.66 (=NR, Central American Games, October 2025)
200 Meters: 23.19 (international, August 2025)
200 Meters (National Record): 23.54 (Central American Games, October 2025)
200 Meters (indoor): 23.75 (ASUN Indoor Championships, February 2026)
60 Meters (indoor): 7.57 (ASUN Indoor Championships, February 2026)
4×100 Relay: 44.31 (NCAA East First Round, May 2024)
World Athletics Ranking: #224 women’s 200m (as of April 2026)

She is a four-time Guatemalan national champion across her career, with particular dominance in the Central American Championships circuit.

International Career Summary

Chacón’s international résumé is remarkable for an athlete who has spent the majority of her competitive career as a college student:

2020 Central American Championships: Gold (100m), Silver (200m)
2021 Central American Championships: Gold (100m), Silver (200m)
2021 NACAC U18 Championships: Bronze (100m), Silver (200m)
2021 U20 Pan American Games: 8th (100m), 6th (200m)
2022 Central American Championships: Gold (100m), Gold (200m), Bronze (4x100m)
2022 Central American U22 National Record: 11.66 (100m)
2023 World Athletics U20 Championships: Top-20 finish
2024 Central American Championships (El Salvador): Silver (200m)
2024 Summer Olympics (Paris): Competed in 100m — first Guatemalan woman in the Olympic 100m in 52 years
2025 Central American Games (Guatemala City): Central American Games record (100m, 11.66); Guatemalan national record (200m, 23.54)

Academic Profile

At Jacksonville University, Chacón has pursued a degree in exercise science — a natural fit for an athlete who has spent her life studying movement and physical performance. The program provides both theoretical grounding in human physiology and practical application through her daily training, giving her an academic framework to understand her sport from the inside. She is one of many international student-athletes at JU whose education and athletics have developed in tandem in the demanding environment of Division I competition.

Social Media

Mariandree Chacón is active on Instagram, where followers can track her competitive season, training life, and international appearances. Jacksonville University’s track and field program can also be followed at @jax_xctf on Instagram and @JAX_XCTF on X (formerly Twitter) for meet results and program updates.

Looking Ahead

As Mariandree Chacón completes her senior year at Jacksonville University in the spring of 2026, she does so as arguably the most accomplished female sprinter in Guatemalan history. She holds national records in the 200 meters, has equaled the national U22 record in the 100 meters, competed at the Olympic Games at age 19, set a Central American Games record, and built a four-year collegiate résumé that includes conference championship medals, NCAA postseason appearances, and multiple All-ASUN honors.

At 21 years old, she is also, by the standards of sprinting, still very young. The world-class sprinters she raced against in Paris — and will line up against again throughout her post-collegiate career — won’t peak for several more years. Chacón’s trajectory, the consistent improvement she has shown in both the 100 and 200 meters across every phase of her career, suggests she has real room still to grow.

Guatemala is a country that has produced very little international sprint talent at the women’s level. What Chacón has built — a national record, a Central American Games record, an Olympic appearance, and a sustained international competitive record from her teenage years onward — is genuinely foundational for Guatemalan women’s athletics. She has done it while earning a university degree in a foreign country, managing the demands of NCAA Division I competition, and carrying the weight of being her nation’s sole female representative at the world’s biggest sporting event.

The Stade de France in 2024 was not the end of Mariandree Chacón’s Olympic story. If anything, it was the first chapter.

Mariandree Chacón (born November 6, 2004) is a Guatemalan sprinter competing for Jacksonville University in the ASUN Conference. She is a native of Huité, Zacapa, Guatemala, and a graduate of Colegio San Francisco Javier De Zacapa. She is majoring in exercise science at Jacksonville University and holds Guatemalan national records in the 200 meters and the U22 100 meters.

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