Maria Victoria RODRIGUEZ LOPEZ

Argentina

Speed Skating

Date of Birth: 1 Apr 1991

Age: 30

Gender: Female

Height (m/ft): 1.70/5'6''

Place of birth: NEUQUEN

Birth Country:

Argentina

Residence: SALT LAKE CITY, UT

Residence Country:

United States of America

Events and Medals
Records
Schedule
Bio
General Interest
Milestones

Events and Medals

Discipline	Event	Rank	Medal
Speed Skating	Women's 500m	30
	Women's Mass Start	28

Schedule

Start Time	Location	Event	Status
	National Speed Skating Oval	Women's 500m	Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

Nickname:

Vicky.

Previous names:

Maria Victoria Rodriguez Lopez

Occupation:

Athlete

Languages spoken:

Spanish, English

Coach:

Michell Whitmore (USA)

Other sports:

Inline speed skating: Has won three bronze medals at world championships, two in 2009 and one in 2015. Was disqualified for doping use after winning the 2012 world title in the 200m time trial (road).

Debut:

2 December 2017 World Cup in Calgary (1000m B - 26th)

National team:

2017

Start:

In 2016.

Reason:

“It was a dream. When I was asleep, I dreamed I was an ice skater, and a week later I had the same dream, so I started thinking about it. I searched on Google for ice skating in Argentina. Then I found a federation and contacted them. They told me that they had a program in Salt Lake City, and that's how I started.” (isu.org, 16 Dec 2021)

Memorable:

Winning a 500m bronze medal at the 2021 Four Continents Championships: “This bronze medal is very important for me and for my family, because they helped me a lot. And I'm very proud." (isu.org, 16 Dec 2021)

General Interest

SUSPENSION
At the 2012 World Inline Speed Skating Championships, she won the gold medal in the 200m time trial. However, her urine sample showed traces of anabolic steroids, and in 2013 she was suspended for two years and had to return her medal. Rodriguez maintains that she did not knowingly take the performance-enhancing drugs, as these were in medication prescribed to her to combat a red blood cell deficit. She appealed the ruling unsuccessfully and returned to competition in 2015. She celebrated her return with a world championship bronze in Kaohsiung (TPE) (rionegro.com, 24 Mar 2013 ; lmneuquen.com, 30 Jan 2015)

SKATING WITHOUT A RINK
Argentina has no speed skating rinks so is dependent on training in Salt Lake City, UT (USA). "It's hard financially,” she explains. “Last year, I was stuck in Argentina, I didn't skate for a year. I did not even do inline and was quarantined to my house mostly. When I came back this year, I was very out of shape." (isu.org, 16 Dec 2021)

Milestones

Was the first-ever speed skater to represent Argentina at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Was already the first Argentine skater at a speed skating world championship when competing in the 2019 World Sprint Championships.

Her medal in the 2021 Four Continents Championships (bronze, 500m) was the first-ever international medal won by an Argentine speed skater.

Social Media

Legend

:: Gold Medal Event

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