From gold medalists to national champions, these Afro-Latina athletes are among the best in their sport. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, here are five Afro-Latina athletes who we are following and think you should, too.

Jordan Chiles, gymnastics

Puerto Rican gymnast Jordan Chiles was a member of the silver medal-winning U.S. women’s gymnastics team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. During those Games, Chiles stepped in for teammate Simone Biles in the women’s team gymnastics final after Biles withdrew to prioritize her mental health.

At the 2024 Paris Games, Chiles helped her team win gold in the women’s team gymnastics final. She also earned a bronze medal for her floor routine but was asked to return the medal after a controversial ruling lowered her score, putting her out of medal contention. A year later, Chiles is still fighting for the bronze medal.

Chiles, a junior on UCLA’s women’s gymnastics team, has gone viral for her floor routines utilizing songs from Black artists such as Beyoncé and Doug E. Fresh. In April, Chiles won the 2025 uneven bars title at the NCAA gymnastics championships.

Aleshia Ocasio, softball

Professional softball player Aleshia Ocasio, whose parents are Black and Puerto Rican, first made waves at the University of Florida. As a pitcher who also hit and fielded several other positions across the infield and outfield, her versatility drew attention, especially after the team won a national championship in 2015 during her freshman year. She graduated in 2018 as a member of the All-SEC first team, and the Chicago Bandits selected Ocasio as the 10th overall pick in the National Professional Fastpitch league’s 2018 draft.

Ocasio also competes with Puerto Rico’s national softball team. She helped lead the team to a bronze medal at the Pan American Games in 2015 and 2019, then went on to win silver with the team at the 2023 Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile. Ocasio also competed in the inaugural season of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League this past summer and played in the 2025 AUSL All-Star Cup in August.

When she isn’t playing softball, fans are likely to hear her calling a game; she is a college softball color commentator for ESPN.

Hannah Hidalgo, basketball

Notre Dame junior Hannah Hidalgo has established herself as one of the country’s most effective two-way guards in college basketball.

As a sophomore last season, she earned ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors, becoming just the third player to win both awards in the same season. Hidalgo also set the program’s single-season scoring record, averaging 23.8 points per game. Over the summer, Hidalgo earned her third gold medal with USA Basketball when the team won the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup in Santiago, Chile.

Off the court, Hidalgo, the daughter of a Puerto Rican father and a Black mother, continues to learn more about and embrace her Puerto Rican roots. According to the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, 2.9% of Division I women’s college basketball players identify as Latina or Hispanic.

Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, track and field

Puerto Rican sprint hurdler Jasmine Camacho-Quinn got her start at Kentucky, where she made history in 2016 as the first freshman to win the NCAA 100-meter hurdles championship. She would go on to become a three-time NCAA champion and six-time SEC champion while at Kentucky.

She made her Olympic debut in the 2016 Rio Games, where she collided with a hurdle in the semifinals. Four years later, she earned gold at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Games and bronze at the 2024 Paris Games, making her the first Puerto Rican to win multiple Olympic medals.

Linda Caicedo, soccer

Colombian soccer player Linda Caicedo made her professional debut at just 14 years old. But not long after, at age 15, she learned she had ovarian cancer. At the time, Caicedo was unsure of whether she would be able to return to her quickly developing and successful career. Yet, after surgery and months of chemotherapy treatment – and with the support of her community – she returned to competition.

In 2022, Caicedo helped lead Colombia to the final of the Copa America Femenina, which secured her country a spot in the 2024 Olympics, and she was named the tournament’s best player. In 2023, Caicedo joined Real Madrid, and in 2024 she made her Olympics debut at the Paris Games.

The post These Afro-Latina athletes are rewriting the record books with their success appeared first on Andscape.