Madeline de Jesús
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | November 4, 1957 |
Residence | Belgium |
Sport | |
Country | Puerto Rico |
Event(s) | long jump and triple jump |
Madeline de Jesús (born November 4, 1957) is a retired female track and field athlete from Puerto Rico, who competed in the women's long jump and triple jump during her career. Her personal best (6.96 metres) in the long jump was set on July 24, 1988 in Mexico City. De Jesús twin sister Margaret de Jesús also competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics, in the women's 400 metres. Madeline is currently living in Belgium where she's active as a sports teacher and coach.
Olympic Controversy
After Puerto Rico’s Madeline de Jesus came up lame while competing in the long jump, she was unable to run in the 4×400-meter relay at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Madeline enlisted her identical twin sister, Margaret, as an imposter for a qualifying heat. Margaret ran the second leg of the qualifier, and the team advanced. When the chief coach of the Puerto Rican team learned of the ruse, however, he pulled his team out of the final.
Achievements
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing Puerto Rico | |||||
1979 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Guadalajara, Mexico | 2nd | Long jump | 5.87 m |
1981 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Santo Domingo, DR | 3rd | Long jump | 6.20 m |
1982 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Havana, Cuba | 3rd | Long jump | 6.47 m |
1983 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Havana, Cuba | 2nd | Long jump | 6.49 m |
1984 | Olympic Games | Los Angeles, United States | 21st | Long jump | 5.63 m |
1988 | Ibero-American Championships | Ciudad de México, México | 1st | Long jump | 6.96 m A |
Olympic Games | Seoul, South Korea | 23rd | Long jump | 6.08 m | |
1987 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Caracas, Venezuela | 2nd | Long jump | 6.11 m |