Luis Martínez (swimmer)

Luis Martínez
Personal information
Full nameLuis Carlos Martínez Méndez
Born (1995-12-11) 11 December 1995
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight70 kg (154 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesButterfly, freestyle
College teamAuburn University
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing  Guatemala
Pan American Games
2019 Lima 100 m butterfly
Central American and Caribbean Games
2018 Barranquilla 100 m butterfly
2014 Veracruz 50 m butterfly
2014 Veracruz 100 m butterfly
2018 Barranquilla 50 m butterfly
Central American Games
2017 Managua 100 m freestyle[1]
2017 Managua 50 m backstroke[1]
2017 Managua 50 m butterfly[1]
2017 Managua 100 m butterfly[1]
2017 Managua 200 m butterfly[1]
2017 Managua 4×200 m freestyle[1]
2017 Managua 50 m freestyle[1]

Luis Carlos Martínez Méndez (born 11 December 1995) is a Guatemalan swimmer. He has competed in two Olympic Games: the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

Career

College

Martínez attended Auburn University from 2014 to 2018, where he was part of the Auburn Tigers swimming and diving program.[2] He was a three-time NCAA All-American.[2]

Professional career

Martínez competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the men's 100 metre butterfly event; his time of 52.22 seconds finished him 19th in the heats but did not qualify him for the semifinals.[3][4]

The next year, he competed in the butterfly events at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships, representing Guatemala.

At the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, Martínez won the silver medal in the 100 meters butterfly, imposing a new games record in the preliminary heats.[5]

In 2020, he won first place in the 100 meters butterfly at the U.S. Open Swimming Championships. By qualifying for the men's 100 metre butterfly at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Martínez became the first Guatemalan to reach a final in any swimming event; he eventually finished seventh, with a time of 51.29 seconds.[6][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "La natación escribe una historia dorada en Juegos Centroamericanos" (in Spanish). Confederación Deportiva Autónoma de Guatemala. 9 December 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Luis Martinez - Swimming & Diving". Auburn University Athletics. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Luis Martinez". Rio 2016 Olympics. Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 25 August 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  4. ^ "Men's 100m Butterfly - Standings". Rio 2016 Olympics. Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  5. ^ Ross, Andy (7 August 2019). "2019 Pan American Games Swimming: Luis Martinez Breaks 100 Fly Games Record". Swimming World. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
  6. ^ IOC. "Luis Martinez". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
  7. ^ "'Overwhelmed with emotion': Luis Martinez reflects on second Olympics". Auburn Tigers. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2025.