Gladys Tejeda

Gladys Lucy Tejeda Pucuhuaranga is a Peruvian long-distance runner who has represented Peru in various international competitions, including the Olympics and the Pan American Games.

Career

In 2011, Tejeda secured a third-place finish at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara. She competed in the women's marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics, where she was also chosen as Peru's flag bearer for the Parade of Nations.
In 2013, Tejeda claimed victory in the XXXI edition of the Mexico City Marathon, completing the race with a time of 2:37:35.
At the 2015 Pan American Games, Tejeda won the gold medal in the marathon, setting a new Pan American record with a time of 2:33:05. However, later that year, she was stripped of her medal after testing positive for furosemide, a diuretic included in the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned substances list for its potential use in masking other drugs. Despite her denial of doping, Tejeda was temporarily suspended from international competition.
Tejeda returned to competition at the 2016 Rio Olympics, finishing 15th in the women's marathon with a time of 2:29:55. In 2017, she won the XXXV edition of the Mexico City Marathon again, setting a women's course record with a time of 2:36:16. Tejeda achieved further success by winning a gold medal in the marathon event at the 2019 Pan American Games.