Professional cyclist Marlon Pérez won gold on both the road and track at the Pan American Games, in addition to representing Colombia at three Olympic Games. As a young rider Pérez made an immediate impact when he won the points race at the 1994 UCI Junior Track World Championships. Two years later he had become the national time trial champion and won gold in the team pursuit at the Pan American Track Championships. The year was capped off when he made his first appearance at the Olympics, competing in the team pursuit and points race at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Pérez also had the honour of being the flagbearer for Colombia at the Opening Ceremony. More success followed with him winning gold in the time trial at the 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games, and becoming the under-23 national champion in both the road race and time trial.
Pérez had double success on the track at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg with gold in the points race and bronze in the individual pursuit. The following year he returned to the Olympics, riding in the points race at the 2000 Sydney Games. His focus then shifted to the road where he won several stages of the Vuelta a Colombia before making his Grand Tour début in 2004 at the Giro d’Italia. Pérez made his third and final appearance at the Olympics when he competed in the road race at the 2004 Athina Games. After winning just a handful of races over the next few years, his final major victory came at the 2011 Pan American Games with gold in the time trial. Sadly Pérez was only 48-years-old when he was stabbed to death in Colombia in August 2024.
Colombia