This Uruguayan Runner Just Made History — & Her Reaction is Everything

Julia Paternain just made history, and she did it in the most surprising way. Paternain placed third in the women’s marathon in Tokyo, claiming Uruguay’s first medal in World Athletics Championships history. And she did it in just her second competitive marathon ever.

Yes, that’s right, Paternain, who is ranked 288 in the world in the marathon, was not expecting to compete for a medal. In fact, all she was thinking about was finishing. “I was in shock. This is my second marathon, and I was just trying to get from A to B and get to the finish line without my legs giving way,” Paternain told the BBC after the race. The runner, who grew up in the UK, represents Uruguay, where her family is from.

What made the race all the more exciting is that Paternain didn’t know what place she was in when she crossed the finish line. “At halfway I realised I was in the top 12, maybe, and from then I was kind of picking people off,” she said. “Usually in races, you have people yelling at you that you are in this position, but everything was in Japanese, so I had no idea where I was.”

The answer was third place. Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir, the 2021 Olympic champion, won gold in a time of 2 hours 24 minutes 43 seconds, beating Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa by two seconds. Paternain’s time was 2:27.23. Pretty great for someone who almost gave up the sport until she realized long distances were her sweet spot, and who hadn’t even run that many competitive races.

Related

How Running Gave This Afro-Latina a Second Chance After a Brain Aneurysm

“When I came into the track, I couldn’t see a soul, so I was like, ‘I have no clue where I am’. I knew I was somewhere in the top – I was assuming six or five. I didn’t know exactly where. I didn’t really want to think there was a medal, just in case there wasn’t,” Paternain said. But there was one. And chances are, if she continues this way, there will be plenty more.