Mariana Pajón wowed by Rafaela’s Invencible Velódromo: “Need one at home” | OneFootball

The Colombian triple Olympic medalist competed in track cycling, something new in her South American Games participation, and praised the venue in Rafaela for its potential to support sports development.

For Mariana Pajón, competing in Rafaela meant stepping away for a moment from the specialty that made her one of the biggest names in world cycling. The Colombian, a three-time Olympic medalist and two-time champion, joined Team Colombia at Santa Fe 2026 to compete in track cycling, a different discipline from the BMX that defined her international career.

The experience also allowed her to see the Invencible Velodrome up close, one of the venues for the Games in Rafaela. And her impression was emphatic: “I wish we had something like this where I live. It’s spectacular for development.”

Pajón praised not only the venue’s conditions for high-level competition, but also what infrastructure of this kind can represent once the event is over. Her focus was especially on the legacy it can leave and the opportunities it can create for sports in the region.

A venue that can remain useful for much more

The Colombian champion said her experience in Rafaela had been very positive from the moment she arrived. She highlighted the welcome, the movement of athletes around the city, and the contact with local residents.

“We get around by bike and people on the street greet us, help us, and the Village is spectacular,” she said. She also had the chance to ride on the BMX track, which she described as “great.”

But it was when speaking about the future of the venue that she placed special emphasis. “Games are really great while they’re happening, but what truly remains, the legacy of the Games, is those sports venues,” she explained.

For Pajón, the Invencible Velodrome should not be associated only with track cycling. “It’s not only going to help cycling, but many things can be done in the velodrome—events, other sports here too,” she said.

The reflection carries particular weight because of her experience: she is an athlete who has competed on the biggest international stages and who, on this occasion, took on a different challenge at Santa Fe 2026 within her own sport.

Returning to competition after becoming a mother

Her participation was also shaped by another personal challenge. Pajón returned to competition after becoming a mother and acknowledged that the process involved effort, sacrifices, and a lot of work.

“Moms are super powerful,” she said while explaining what it meant to return to training and prepare to compete. Along the way, she especially highlighted the support of her parents and her husband, who encouraged her to believe in herself again and helped care for her child.

“They told me, ‘Believe in yourself, you can get back on the bike, you can be yourself again on any bike,’” she said. For her, simply being back in a competition at this level was already a source of pride.

She also spoke about what it means for her daughter to see her compete. “I want her to keep seeing me compete, to see an example of a mother who doesn’t give up, who keeps going and pursues her dreams no matter what others say,” she said.

In Rafaela, Pajón found a different kind of sporting challenge and, at the same time, a venue that led her to think about cycling beyond her own career. A champion used to BMX discovered the possibilities of the track and underscored the value of infrastructure that, in her view, can outlast the Games and open new opportunities for sport.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.