Veteran Guatemalan Olympic shooter Jean Pierre Brol makes history for his country and Central America with a bronze medal in Paris 2024.
Jean Pierre Brol will forever go down in the annals of Guatemalan and Central American Olympic history after a performance for the ages in Paris 2024. The 41-year-old Brol defied the odds and took home a bronze medal in the Men’s Trap shooting competition.
For Guatemala, Brol’s bronze medal represents the country’s second-ever Olympic podium appearance. The first medal went to Erick Barrondo in London 2012, when he took silver in the Men’s 20K Race Walk. Aside from Barrondo, the other time Guatemala came close to a podium appearance was in Tokyo. Kevin Cordon made it to the Men’s badminton semi-finals but fell in a hard-fought matchup. He played for bronze but unfortunately could not get over the top, settling for a fourth-place finish.
It was a long time coming for Brol. He debuted in London but failed to medal. Similarly, Brol fell short in Tokyo 2020. But this time around, Brol became a pleasant surprise as millions of Guatemalans started their usual weekday routines, with President Arévalo tweeting his congrats to the veteran shooter, saying his medal was a historic moment for Guatemala.
It’s worth noting that Brol’s bronze is the first medal for a Central American nation thus far. There will be plenty of other opportunities for Central America to capture Olympic glory. The Olympics have just gotten underway, so there is still plenty of excitement to go.
In the meantime, Brol’s singular feat renews hope in Guatemalan athletes who dream of bringing home an Olympic medal.
¡Momento histórico para Guatemala! Jean Pierre Brol ha ganado la medalla de bronce. 🥉
Gracias por representar los colores de Guatemala con orgullo. 🇬🇹 https://t.co/yFx1fry85n
— Bernardo Arévalo (@BArevalodeLeon) July 30, 2024
Luis Grijalva Another Podium Hopeful for Guatemala
Rising track star Luis Grijalva entered the Paris Olympics as Guatemala’s best chance for a medal. This Olympiad marks Grijalva’s second appearance. He placed 12th in Tokyo in the Men’s 5,000 metres. Nevertheless, Grijalva has improved on his performance, landing a fourth-place in the last athletics world championship.
Grijalva, born in Guatemala but living in the United States since the age of two, has competed at a high level from an early age. He’ll be running in preliminary heats on August 7th, and hopefully qualify for the finals as he did in Tokyo.
Grijalva could add to Guatemala’s medal count, making it the most successful Olympics participation ever for a Guatemalan delegation. Millions of Guatemalans will be holding their breaths as Grijalva literally runs away with a medal.
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are kicking off this week and we figured it would be a great idea to pay homage to the athletes representing Central America at the Olympics. Here’s our guide to your Central America Olympic athletes#OlympicGames https://t.co/8pm7rRoplg
— Central America Living (@VidaAmerica) July 24, 2024
Nestor Quixtan is a Canadian/Guatemalan economist, linguist, and writer. He lives in Guatemala City.