ATHLETES from Ecuador

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Ecuadorean Athletes of all time. This list of famous Ecuadorean Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Ecuadorean Athletes.

1. Jefferson Pérez (b. 1974)

With an HPI of 47.34, Jefferson Pérez is the most famous Ecuadorean Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages on wikipedia.

Jefferson Leonardo Pérez Quezada (born 1 July 1974) is an Ecuadorian retired race walker. He specialised in the 20 km event, in which he won the first two medals his country achieved in the Olympic Games.

2. Álex Quiñónez (1989 - 2021)

With an HPI of 40.03, Álex Quiñónez is the 2nd most famous Ecuadorean Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Álex Leonardo Quiñónez Martínez (11 August 1989 – 22 October 2021) was an Ecuadorian sprinter who competed in the 100 metres and 200 metres. He was shot dead on October 22, 2021 at age 32. He was the second runner to be murdered that month, alongside fellow bronze medalist Agnes Tirop. He won the 100 m and 200m at the 2012 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics, with his 20.34s national record in the 200 m qualifying him for the 2012 Summer Olympics. He ran a new Ecuadorian national record of 20.28 s in the heats of the 200 metres at the 2012 Olympics and qualified for the final, where he finished seventh. Quiñónez won the bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships in the 200 metres event. He qualified to represent Ecuador at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the 200m in Tokyo but was provisionally suspended for "whereabouts failures" less than a month before the games began.

3. Daniel Castro (b. 0)

With an HPI of 38.94, Daniel Castro is the 3rd most famous Ecuadorean Athlete.  Their biography has been translated into 4 different languages.

Daniel Castro may refer to: Daniel Castro (baseball) Daniel Castro (archer) Daniel Castro (field hockey) Daniel Castro (footballer)

4. Alexandra Escobar (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 37.47, Alexandra Escobar is the 4th most famous Ecuadorean Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 13 different languages.

María Alexandra Escobar Guerrero (born 17 July 1980) is an Ecuadorian weightlifter. At the 2001 World Weightlifting Championships in Antalya, Turkey she won gold in the 53 kg category in the clean and jerk, bronze in the snatch, and the overall bronze medal with a total lift of 205 kg. She ranked 7th in the Woman's 58 kg category at the 2004 Summer Olympics, lifting 215 kg in total. At the 2006 World Weightlifting Championships she ranked 16th in the 58 kg category, and at the 2007 World Weightlifting Championships she ranked 5th in the same category, lifting a total of 220 kg. Escobar won the gold medal in the 58 kg category at the 2008 Pan American Weightlifting Championships. Escobar has competed five times at the Olympics in the women's 58 kg weight class. In the 2004 Summer Olympics she finished 7th with a 215 kg total. At Beijing 2008 she ranked 4th with 223 kg in total. At the 2012 Summer Olympics she finished 7th with a total of 226 kg. At the 2016 Summer Olympics she finished 4th (223 kg) and at the 2020 Summer Olympics she recorded a DNF. Escobar was the Ecuadorian flag-bearer in the opening ceremonies for the 2004, 2008 and 2020 Olympic Games.

5. Brian Pintado (b. 1995)

With an HPI of 33.86, Brian Pintado is the 5th most famous Ecuadorean Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Brian Daniel Pintado Álvarez (born 29 July 1995 in Cuenca) is an Ecuadorian racewalker, two-time Pan American Games champion and two-time Olympic Medallist.

6. Tamara Salazar (b. 1997)

With an HPI of 31.84, Tamara Salazar is the 6th most famous Ecuadorean Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Tamara Yajaira Salazar Arce (born 9 August 1997) is an Ecuadorian weightlifter. She won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo 87 kg Olympic competition, and silver and bronze medals at the 2018 World Weightlifting Championships.

7. Rosa Chacha (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 31.38, Rosa Chacha is the 7th most famous Ecuadorean Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 10 different languages.

Rosa Alba Chacha Chacha (born 8 December 1982 in Ambato) is an Ecuadorian long-distance runner. She competed in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics, placing 83rd with a time of 2:40:57, a seasonal best. She represented Ecuador at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

8. Andrés Chocho (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 29.77, Andrés Chocho is the 8th most famous Ecuadorean Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 7 different languages.

Cristian Andrés Chocho León (born 4 November 1983) is an Ecuadorian race walker who competes in both the 20 km and 50 km walk events. He is the South American record holder in the 50 km (3:49:32 hours) and 20,000 metres (1:20:23.8 hours) walking events. Chocho was the 2011 South American Champion over 20 km and was the bronze medallist at the 2011 Summer Universiade. His best global level finish is eleventh over 50 km at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics. He represented Ecuador at four Summer Olympics, won a gold medal in 50 km Walk in the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games, and is a seven-time participant of the IAAF World Race Walking Cup.

9. Glenda Morejón (b. 2000)

With an HPI of 28.63, Glenda Morejón is the 9th most famous Ecuadorean Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 13 different languages.

Glenda Estefanía Morejón Quiñónez (born 30 May 2000) is an Ecuadorian racewalker. On 27 July 2017, she won the 5000m category of the World U18 Championships, becoming the second female Ecuadorian athlete to do so.

10. Paola Pérez (b. 1989)

With an HPI of 28.56, Paola Pérez is the 10th most famous Ecuadorean Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 9 different languages.

Paola Bibiana Pérez Saquipay (born 21 December 1989 in Cuenca) is an Ecuadorian race walker. She competed in the 20 km kilometres event at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. She represented Ecuador at the 2020 Summer Olympics.