Luis Miguel Grijalva is an athlete who was born in Guatemala on April 10, 1999. When he was barely one year old he went to the United States with his family in search of a better life opportunity.
At 24 years old, Grijalva has become a benchmark in national athletics. He is currently the holder of several national records, including the 10 thousand, 5 thousand and 3 thousand meters.
Luis officially competed for Guatemala on August 3, 2021 when he jumped onto the athletics track at the Tokyo Olympic stadium in a heat eliminatory for the final of the 5 thousand meters, a test considered background (endurance).
That same day he made history by finishing tenth in the standings (3:34.11) and becoming the first Guatemalan to reach the final of the event. Three days later (August 6), Grijalva competed for the medals and closed his participation in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 12th place, also setting a national and Central American record (13: 10.09).
Now almost three years after that moment, the dreamer (for being part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals -DACA- program) is much more mature and has more experience and is aiming for a medal in Paris 2024.
Early life and adolescence
When he was barely one year old, Luis and his family headed to the United States in search of better opportunities. There they settled in Fairfield, California and that was the place where Grijalva’s athletics and life came together.
Luis always liked running, but it was not until he was 8 years old that he discovered how far he could go by dedicating himself to the sport. He watched the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on television and from there he began to take steps to get to where he is today.
As he grew up he reached Armijo High School (2012-2017), where Grijalva stood out as state champion in cross country and track events. His determination led him to win a title in the 1 thousand 600 meters in 2017.
Universidad
After his time in high school, Grijalva arrived at Northern Arizona University (NAU), a place where his career would be consolidated. There the Guatemalan contributed to the national titles for his university in the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
He was competing on the track for his study center that specialized in the 5 thousand meters and reached second place in the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championshipsreaching a time of 13:13.14 which opened the possibility of going to the Olympic Games.
National record holder and record holder
After a dream debut in the Olympic Games, Grijalva continued with his professional career and The signature of the Hoka One One team has already dropped He achieved fourth places in the 5 thousand meters in the World Athletics Championships 2022 and 2023.
Luis Grijalva is currently in Guatemala where he completed immigration procedures that will allow him to resolve his situation and will be able to travel to different countries without needing to request a special permit from the United States to leave its territory.
To date he is the holder of five national records in athletics:
- 1,500 metros 3:35.32 18-6-21
- 3,000 metros 7:38.67 30-6-22
- 3,000 meters indoors 7:37.42 05-2-22
- 5,000 metros 12:52.97 2-9-22
- 10,000 metros 27:26:02 17-3-24
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