Andrea Carolina Vargas Mena (born 28 May 1996) is a Costa Rican athlete specialising in the sprint hurdles. She is the 2019 and 2023 Pan American Games champion in the 100 metres hurdles. She is the current national record holder in the 100 metres hurdles. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics and was Costa Rica's flag bearer in the opening ceremonies.
Career Vargas competed at her first running competition when she was four years old and competed for the first time internationally when she was ten.
Vargas competed in the 60 metres hurdles at the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships but did not advance out of the heats. She then won the 100 metres hurdles title at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games and set a new national record. She won another gold medal in the event at the 2018 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics, becoming the first Costa Rican woman to win an event at the Ibero-American Championships.
Vargas represented Costa Rica at the 2019 Pan American Games and won the gold medal in the 100 metres hurdles with a time of 12.82. She was the third person and the first woman to win a medal at the Pan American Games for Costa Rica in athletics. Additionally, she met the Olympic qualifying standards with her time in the semifinals. At the 2019 World Athletics Championships, she advanced into the 100 metres hurdles finals and placed fifth, setting the national record of 12.64 seconds, after also setting national records in the heats and semifinals.
Vargas represented Costa Rica at the 2020 Summer Olympics and was selected as one of the flag bearers in the opening ceremonies. She competed in the 100 metres hurdles and won her heat with a time of 12.71 seconds. She ran a time of 12.69 seconds in the semifinals and was the fastest athlete to not advance to the finals. She finished 15th in the 100 metres hurdles semifinals at the 2022 World Athletics Championships and did not advance into the finals.
At the 2023 Pan American Games, Vargas successfully defended her 100 metres hurdles title. She won a bronze medal in the 100 metres hurdles at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games.
Personal life Vargas is the oldest of three children and is coached by her parents. Her younger sister, Noelia Vargas, competes internationally in racewalking. She has one daughter, born in 2015. She graduated from the Universidad Panamericana and passed the national bar examination.
International competitions Representing 2010Central American and CaribbeanJunior Championships (U17)Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic2ndHeptathlon (youth)3972 pts2011Central American Juniorand Youth Championships (U18)San Salvador, El Salvador2nd400 m hurdles (76.2 cm)66.782013Central American GamesSan José, Costa Rica1st400 m hurdles1:04.72World Youth ChampionshipsDonetsk, Ukraine15th (h)100 m hurdles (76.2 cm)14.342014Central American Junior ChampionshipsMorelia, Mexico2nd100 m hurdles13.72World Junior ChampionshipsEugene, United States24th (sf)100 m hurdles14.11 (w)2016NACAC U23 ChampionshipsSan Salvador, El Salvador11th (h)200 m25.186th100 m hurdles13.652017Central American GamesManagua, Nicaragua1st100 m hurdles13.122018World Indoor ChampionshipsBirmingham, United Kingdom32nd (h)60 m hurdles8.34Central American and Caribbean GamesBarranquilla, Colombia1st100 m hurdles12.90NACAC ChampionshipsToronto, Canada3rd100 m hurdles12.91Ibero-American ChampionshipsTrujillo, Peru1st100 m hurdles13.042019Pan American GamesLima, Peru1st100 m hurdles12.82World ChampionshipsDoha, Qatar5th100 m hurdles12.642021Olympic GamesTokyo, Japan9th (sf)100 m hurdles12.692022World ChampionshipsEugene, United States15th (sf)100 m hurdles12.822023Central American and Caribbean GamesSan Salvador, El Salvador3rd100 m hurdles13.02Pan American GamesSantiago, Chile1st100 m hurdles13.092025Central American ChampionshipsManagua, Nicaragua1st100 m hurdles13.283rd4 × 100 m relay47.83NACAC ChampionshipsFreeport, Bahamas8th100 m hurdles13.46Central American GamesQuetzaltenango, Guatemala1st100 m hurdles13.272026Central American and Caribbean GamesSanto Domingo, Dominican Republic10th (h)100 m hurdles13.93
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