Roberto Caracciolo Mandje

Roberto Caracciolo Mandje was born in Barcelona, Spain as the son of a US diplomat, and a mother who had been born in Equatorial Guinea. Because of his mother’s birthplace he was eligible to run for Equatorial Guinea in the Olympics, although he grew up in the United States. He attended school at the University of Albany where he primarily ran the steeplechase.

Caracciolo Mandje was runner-up at the 2003 American East Conference Championships in the steeplechase and was named All-Conference. He could only qualify for the 2004 Olympics in the 1,500 metres, in which he set a national record for Equatorial Guinea with his heat time of 4:03.37. He later moved up to longer distances, training to attempt to run the marathon at Rio de Janeiro in 2016. After his parent’s divorce, and after his Olympic participation, he also started using only the name Roberto Mandje.

Personal Best: 1500 – 4:00.33 (2007).