Mónica Amboya

Mónica Amboya took up football refereeing as a teenager but her first attempt at qualification for the Olympic Games came as a competitive runner. Her career as a middle distance runner and steeplechaser was crowned by a gold medal in the 3000m steeplechase at the South American Championship in Venezuela in 2003. She also took silver in the same event two years later and won gold medals in the 1500m and steeplechase at the South American under 23 championships in 2004. Amboya was also successful at the Bolivarian Games and competed at both the Pan-American Games and World Cross Country Championships for her country. Unfortunately for her, the women’s steeplechase was not part of the Olympic programme until the Beijing Games and by then she had decided to focus on her job as a teacher of mathematics and her burgeoning career in football refereeing.

She was quickly promoted to officiate at the second level of Ecuadorian football but had to wait fourteen seasons before she stepped up the top domestic level. Since then Amboya has officiated in the Copa Libertadores, the Copa America, the men’s under 17 World Cup and the 2019 Women’s World Cup.