Celebrating Marlene Ahrens

Nov 28, 2023

Celebrating Marlene Ahrens

This Doodle celebrates Chilean javelin thrower Marlene Ahrens, the first woman from her country to win an Olympic medal.

About the Doodle:

Celebrating Marlene Ahrens

On this day in 1956, she won her silver medal at the Melbourne Olympic Games.

About the Doodle:

Ahrens was born in Concépcion, Chile on July 17, 1933. After the Chilean earthquake of 1939, Ahrens’s family moved to the Aconcagua Valley. Here, Ahrens fell in love with countryside athletics like horseback riding, tree climbing, and swimming.

About a decade later, Ahrens tagged along to the beach with her amateur hockey team. As her teammates tossed rocks into the ocean, Ahrens threw one that soared over the other splashes. Her friends encouraged her to try throwing a javelin. Two weeks later, Ahrens didn’t just participate in her first amateur contest—she threw the javelin so far that she instantly became one of the best in South America.

As 23-year-old with no specialized training, Ahrens defied all odds in 1956 when she won gold in the South American Athletics Championship and silver in the Melbourne Olympics. She also served as the flag-bearer in the opening parade and represented the only woman from Chile.

Ahrens went on to win five more gold medals in South American competitions. She returned to the 1960 Rome Olympics and again served as the flag-bearer. She then transitioned to tennis and quickly became one of the top local tennis players and won Chile’s tournament in mixed doubles in 1967.

In 2000, Ahrens became the Vice President of the Chilean Olympic Committee, where she served for 12 years. She continued riding horses until the age of 79 and remains an inspiration for athletes today.

Illustration of the letter G with a javelin stick.
The Story

About Marlene Ahrens

This Doodle celebrates Chilean Olympian Marlene Ahrens, the first woman from Chile to win an Olympic medal. A prodigious athlete, Ahrens was a self-trained javelin thrower who later became a national tennis champion. Her accomplishments helped Chilean pride soar as high as her javelin legacy continues to inspire today’s generation.

Where this Doodle appeared

The Doodle Celebrating Marlene Ahrens launched Nov 28, 2023

Discover more Doodles by color

Select a color and discover Doodles that match.
Black Blue Brown Gray Green Orange Pink Purple Red Yellow White
Select a color and discover Doodles that match.

No results found.

See all results

Did you know?

The very first Doodle launched as an “out of office” message of sorts when company founders Larry and Sergey went on vacation.

Learn More

Did you know?

The first Doodle launched in 1998, before Google was officially incorporated.

Learn More

Did you know?

The first animated Doodle premiered on Halloween 2000

Learn More

Did you know?

The first same day Doodle was created in 2009 when water was discovered on the moon.

Learn More

Did you know?

Doodle for Google student contest winners have gone on to become professional artists

Learn More

Did you know?

The time it takes from sketch to launch for a Doodle varies widely: some have taken years and others just a few hours!

Learn More

Did you know?

Hundreds of Doodles launch around the world every year. Often, several different ones are live in different places at the same time!

Learn More

Did you know?

Our most frequently recurring Doodle character is Momo the Cat - named after a real-life team pet!

Learn More

Did you know?

The official term for the artists that work on Doodles is "Doodler"

Learn More