Álvaro Mejía

Álvaro Mejía was a Colombian distance runner who ran at the 1964, 1968, and 1972 Olympics, with a best finish of 10th in the 1968 10,000 metres. Mejía won four gold medals at the Central American and Caribbean Games, taking the 1962 1,500 metres and, in 1966, he won the 1,500, 5,000, and 10,000 metres. He also won that triple at the 1965 Bolivarian Games. At the Pan American Games he won bronze in the 1971 10K. Mejía was a four-time Colombian Champion, winning the 10K and half-marathon in 1964 and the 5 and 10K in 1965.

Mejía later turned to the roads, winning multiple races, most notably the 1971 Boston Marathon, but he also won the 1966 São Silvestre Road Race in Brazil. At the 1964 Olympics he met American swimmer Terri Lee Stickles, who he later married, although the marriage would end in divorce.

Personal Bests: 5000 – 13:53.4 (1964); 10000 – 29:06.97 (1971); Mar – 2-17:23 (1971).