María Isabel Pérez (sprinter)

María Isabel Pérez Rodríguez (born 1 March 1993) is a Spanish sprinter. She competed for Spain at the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games.

Early life

She was born in Seville, but grew up living in Jerez de la Frontera. She started out in athletics at the Puma Chapín Jerez club when she was seven years-old.

Career

Perez ran for Spain the 2018 European Athletics Championships in the 4x100 metres relay in Berlin, Germany. She competed in the individual 100 metres at the 2020 Olympic Games, she finished fifth in her heat running a time of 11.51.

She was part of the Spanish 4 × 100 m team that finished fifth at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, breaking the Spanish national record and running 42.58 seconds. She was selected for the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich in August 2022 to run both the individual 100 metres and the 4 × 100 m relay. The relay team finished fourth in the final with a time of 43.03 seconds.

She ran as part of the Spanish 4 × 100 m relay team at the 2024 World Relays Championships in Nassau, Bahamas. She was selected for the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome in June 2024 to run both the individual 100 metres and the 4 × 100 m relay. At the Championships, the Spanish relay team qualified for the final, and placed fifth overall.

She was officially selected for the 2024 Paris Olympics in July 2024. In the relay, the team ran a seasons best 42.77 seconds but did not progress to the final.

She set a new Spanish record of 7.15 seconds and won the Spanish national 60 metres title in February 2025. She was selected for the 60 metres at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Appeldoorn where she qualified for the semi-finals. She was selected for the Spanish relay pool for the 2025 World Athletics Relays in China. In the 4 x 100 metres relay she was part of a team alongside Jaël Bestué, Esperança Cladera, Paula Sevilla who won their opening race ahead of Jamaica containing Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, with a time of 42.18 seconds, setting a Spanish national record, and ensuring qualification for the 2025 World Championships. She was part of the Spanish 4 x 100 metres team, again alongside Esperança Cladera, Sevilla and Bestue, which set another new Spanish record of 42.11 seconds at the 2025 European Athletics Team Championships First Division in Madrid on 28 June.

In September 2025, she competed as the Spanish team finished fifth in the women's 4 x 100 metres at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

Personal life

She studied physiotherapy at the University of Seville. She subsequently worked as a physiotherapist in Seville. She is coached by her uncle Luis Rodríguez who competed for Spain at the 1991 World Athletics Championships.

Personal bests

Outdoor

100 metres: 11.07 (Nerja; 2022)
200 metres: 24.28 (Pamplona; 2019)
4 x 100 metres: 42.58 NR (Eugene, OR; 2022)