---
title: "Gabriela Traña failed to achieve the qualifying time for Rio 2016"
published: 2016-04-03
updated: 2026-09-05
source: "https://abuenpaso.cr/en/articles/gabriela-trana-no-logro-la-marca-para-rio-2016"
---

# Gabriela Traña failed to achieve the qualifying time for Rio 2016

**National distance runner Gabriela Traña will miss out on competing in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Her third and final attempt, today at the Paris Marathon, fell short with a final time of 2:49:17, more than four minutes outside the 2:45:00 qualifying standard she needed.**

At 36 years old, the Paris Marathon was perhaps Gabriela's last chance to compete in her third Olympic Games. In 2008 she had attended the Beijing Olympics by invitation, and in 2012 she qualified for London with the best time of her life: 2:38:22.

But today, four years later, her strength is no longer the same. Gaby ran through the 25-kilometer mark at her planned pace (between 3:45 and 3:55 per kilometer), but in the final 15 kilometers her pace grew progressively slower. In the first 10 kilometers she averaged 3:49 minutes per kilometer and from there her pace declined steadily, as can be seen in the table below.

Gabriela had already attempted to qualify for Rio 2016 at the Berlin Marathon last year, but finished with a time of 2:46:34. She could have also qualified at last year's Rotterdam Marathon, but on that occasion she finished in 2:52:03.

For now no Costa Rican distance runner has achieved the necessary time to qualify for Rio. It would be the first time since Athens 2004 that the Olympic marathon is run without national athletes. César Lizano will still try in Rotterdam, in a week, after coming eight seconds short of the dream three months ago in Houston.

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