Alejandra Higueros once again shone on the international stage. The Guatemalan taekwondo player won a gold medal in Freestyle and a silver medal in Poomsae. Recognized at the 2026 Pan American Poomsae Championship, held from May 7 to 10 at the Carioca 1 Arena in the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
As a finishing touch to her performance, Higueros was recognized as the best athlete of the tournament, an award that reaffirms her status as a reference in poomsae at a continental and world level.
The Pan American Poomsae Championship is one of the most important tournaments organized by the Pan American Taekwondo Union and has the G4 category, which means that it grants important points for the World Taekwondo world ranking. The competition brought together nearly 200 athletes and technicians from 17 American countries, including teams from the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Peru and Argentina, among others, in what was one of the most competitive editions in the history of the continental competition.
Higueros’ results in Rio de Janeiro add to the achievements achieved just days before in London, where he won four medals at the London Open and the WT President’s Cup Europe. The Guatemalan, recognized as the Best Female Poomsae Athlete 2025 on the continent and currently third in the world ranking, is experiencing one of the best moments of her sports career with very high-level performances in the most prestigious international competitions in her discipline.
Alejandra aims for Los Angeles 2028
Alejandra Higueros’s preparation is focused on the most important objectives of her sports calendar. In the short term, the Guatemalan has her sights set on the Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026, which will be held in July, where she will seek to win more medals for Guatemala representing the poomsae chapín, which has proven to be among the best on the continent.
With his perseverance and level of performance, Higueros also plans his path towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, where poomsae could be represented if the International Olympic Committee ratifies its inclusion in the Olympic program.
The Guatemalan’s results in recent weeks, with medals in London and now in Rio de Janeiro, confirm that she is on the right path to position herself as one of the great candidates to represent the American continent at the biggest event in world sport.