Carolena Jean Carstens Salceda (born January 18, 1996 in Winfield, Illinois, United States) is a taekwondo practitioner representing Panama. She has dual US / Panamanian citizenship through her father and mother respectively,. She used to live in Glen Ellyn, Illinois., but has since moved to Spain.

In 2011, Carstens participated at the Pan American Championships, where she won the silver medal in the youth -52 kg category, losing to the American Deireanne Morales in the final. She subsequently took part in qualification for the 2012 Summer Olympics in November 2011, finishing fourth. She later received one of four wild card entries for the Olympics as the 13th ranked athlete in the -49 kg category, becoming the first Olympic taekwondo athlete from Panama, and the second youngest Olympian in the country's history. She was the youngest athlete at the 2012 Olympics. She lost her first contest 7–2 to an eventual finalist, Spaniard Brigitte Yagüe, and then lost her repechage fight to Mexican Jannet Alegría by the same score.

Carolena Carstens

She competed for Panama at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and was defeated by Raheleh Asemani of Belgium in the first round. She was the flag bearer for Panama during the closing ceremony.

Carolena Carstens

She competed in the women's lightweight event at the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships held in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Carolena Carstens

References

1996 births

Living people

American sportspeople of Panamanian descent

People with acquired Panamanian citizenship

Panamanian female taekwondo practitioners

Olympic taekwondo practitioners for Panama

Taekwondo practitioners at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Taekwondo practitioners at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Pan American Games competitors for Panama

Taekwondo practitioners at the 2015 Pan American Games

People from Winfield, Illinois

People from Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Sportspeople from DuPage County, Illinois

South American Games gold medalists for Panama

South American Games medalists in taekwondo

Competitors at the 2014 South American Games

Taekwondo practitioners at the 2019 Pan American Games

21st-century American women

21st-century Panamanian women

21st-century Panamanian people