Lina Esther Licona Torres rules the track with commanding 400m victory at Colombian Championships
The women’s 400-meter final at the 2026 Colombian Athletics Championships delivered an exhibition of power and pacing on Saturday, October 31. Staged at the high-altitude Estadio de Atletismo La Flora in Bucaramanga, the event brought together the nation’s premier quarter-milers. Capitalizing on the speed-friendly conditions of the venue, Lina Esther Licona Torres captured a commanding victory, breaking the 53-second barrier to win the gold medal in 52.93 seconds.
The one-lap sprint is widely regarded as one of the most grueling events on the track, requiring a delicate blend of maximum velocity and lactic acid tolerance. Entering the final as the heavy favorite, Lina Esther Licona Torres executed a flawless tactical race plan from the middle lanes.
From the crack of the starter’s pistol, Licona Torres established an aggressive rhythm, eating up the stagger on her outside competitors through the first 150 meters. As the field transitioned onto the home straightaway, her superior top-end endurance became the deciding factor. While her rivals began to tie up under the intense physical toll of the final bend, Licona Torres maintained a fluid, powerful stride. She crossed the finish line unaccompanied in 52.93 seconds, asserting her status as Colombia’s premier 400m specialist.
While Licona Torres celebrated a comfortable margin of victory at the tape, a fierce battle unfolded in her wake for the remaining spots on the national podium. Rosana Palacios, representing the Antioquia department, put together a beautifully calculated performance. Known for her closing speed, Palacios executed a strong final 100 meters to distance herself from the chasing pack, stopping the clock at 53.72 seconds to secure a hard-fought silver medal.
Completing the high-caliber podium block was Paola Loboa. The rising talent ran an incredibly courageous race, going out hard over the first 200 meters to track Licona Torres before fighting through immense fatigue in the closing strides. Loboa’s grit paid off with a bronze-medal finish, crossing the timing mats in a robust 53.96 seconds to join an elite trio under the 54-second threshold.
The high competitive density of the field meant that athletes had to push their absolute limits just to factor into the upper echelon of the standings. In a thrilling secondary battle down the home straightaway, Angie Melisa Arévalo and Karla Vélez pushed each other to a near photo-finish.
Arévalo secured fourth place officially, crossing the line in 55.19 seconds after a well-timed surge over the final 50 meters. Missing out on fourth by a heartbreaking single hundredth of a second, Karla Vélez completed the coveted elite top five, stopping the clock in a resilient 55.20 seconds. The back-to-back finishes of Arévalo and Vélez underscored the impressive evolution of domestic depth across the quarter-mile discipline.
Final Standings in Colombian Championships women’s 400m
1. Lina Esther Licona Torres – 52.93 sec
2. Rosana Palacios – 53.72 sec
3. Paola Loboa – 53.96 sec
4. Angie Melisa Arévalo – 55.19 sec
5. Karla Vélez – 55.20 sec
Organized expertly by the Federación Colombiana de Atletismo (FCA), the 2026 National Senior Championships served as a vital sorting ground for future international assignments. The impressive times recorded under the Bucaramanga sun provide an optimistic outlook for Colombia’s upcoming 4×400m relay structures on the continental and global tours.
Licona Torres’ dominant showcase at La Flora will be long remembered as a definitive testament to masterclass pacing. Her ability to execute under the high-pressure environment of a national final not only secured her personal validation but raised the bar of competitive excellence for the next generation of Colombian sprinters watching from the stadium stands.
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