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Retired Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán had a 32-match winning streak before losing to Esteban De Jesús. Raised in the slums, he joined a gym as an 8-year-old. His punching style earned him the nickname Hands of Stone. He was a world champion in the lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight, and middleweight categories.
Mariano Rivera is a Panamanian-American former baseball player who played for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). A five-time World Series champion and thirteen-time All-Star, Rivera was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019. He is also considered one of the most dominant relievers in the history of the major league.
Retired Panamanian-American basketball player Rolando Blackman first soared to fame with Kansas State and then had an illustrious career with NBA teams such as the Dallas Mavericks and the New York Knicks. A 4-time NBA All-Star, he is also associated with charitable initiatives and is a Kappa Alpha Psi member.
Panamanian professional football centre-back Román Torres commenced his senior-career with Chepo and thereafter played for several other clubs before joining his current club Cartaginés in January 2021. He became a national hero after netting the game-winning goal during final qualifying-match for 2018 FIFA World Cup that helped Panama qualify for their first-ever World Cup. Torres captained them in the tournament.
Panamanian boxer Panama Al Brown is remembered as one of the most successful boxers in bantamweight history and was the first Latin American boxing world champion. A queer icon, he was openly gay and had a long-term relationship with French poet Jean Cocteau. He also experimented with tap dancing and cabaret.
Retired Panamanian footballer Jaime Penedo was a reliable goalkeeper for teams such as Plaza Amador, LA Galaxy, and Dinamo București. He was also the goalkeeper of the fist Panamanian squad that played in a World Cup. He has won the Cupa Ligii with Dinamo București and the Major League Soccer with LA Galaxy.
Baseball infielder Rubén Tejada, a free agent, played for Panama during 2009 World Baseball Classic. He made his MLB debut for New York Mets (2010) and moving-on played for St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, and Baltimore Orioles. He signed MiLB contract with Mets (2019) and thereafter with Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies and finally with Chicago White Sox (2021).
Retired Panamanian baseball player Carlos Ruiz, also known to his fans as Chooch, had an illustrious decade-long career with the Philadelphia Phillies. He later represented the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Seattle Mariners. He remains the only NL player to catch 4 no-hitters and also won a World Series championship with the Phillies.
Retired Panamanian footballer Blas Pérez had a successful stint as a forward for teams such as Deportivo Cali and Cúcuta Deportivo, winning the Categoría Primera A title with both. He was also named to the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup All-Star Team. He has also played for clubs from Colombia, Guatemala, Spain, and Canada.
Former Panamanian footballer Felipe Baloy played as a defender and has a successful career with clubs such as Santos Laguna. He has also played for the Mexican club Monterrey and is a naturalized Mexican citizen. In 2018, he scripted history by scoring Panama’s first FIFA World Cup goal.
Retired Panamanian-American basketball player Ed Cota has a Centrobasket gold medal in his kitty. Though he went undrafted by the NBA due to his lack of height, he began his senior career with the American club Gary Steelheads. He later played for clubs such as BC Dynamo Saint Petersburg and Barcelona.
Retired Panamanian footballer Julio Dely Valdés was a successful striker for teams such as Nacional, Paris Saint-Germain, and Malaga. He also made it to the 2021 IFFHS CONCACAF Men's Team of All Time. He is the twin brother of Jorge Dely Valdés and the younger brother of Armando Dely Valdés, both footballers
Panamanian footballer Luis Tejada now plays as a striker for the Peruvian club Molinos El Pirata. He won the 2011 Peruvian First Division with Juan Aurich. He has also played for clubs from Colombia, Mexico, and the US. He was also the CONCACAF Gold Cup Top Goalscorer in 2005.
Panamanian footballer Fidel Escobar plays as a defender for the Spanish club Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa. After starting his senior career with San Francisco, he later also represented clubs such as New York Red Bulls. He was part of the Panama Under-20 team that became the runner-up at the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.
Panamanian footballer Gabriel Torres plays as a forward for the Chilean club Deportes Antofagasta and the Panama national team. He has also had successful stints with clubs such as Chepo, La Equidad, Zamora, and Independiente Del Valle. He scored 20 goals in the 2012-13 Venezuelan Primera División.
Panamanian footballer Harold Cummings plays as a defender for the Bolivian club Always Ready and the Panama national team. Starting his senor career with Árabe Unidoe, has also represented clubs from Colombia, Costa Rica, the US, and Chile. He won the 2015 Copa Sudamericana with Santa Fe.
Panamanian footballer Roberto Chen is best known as a defender for the Salvadoran club FAS and the Panama national team. Starting his senior career with San Francisco, he later also played for clubs from Belgium, Colombia, and Spain. He also won the 2021 Salvadoran Primera División with FAS.
Panamanian wrestler Dalys la Caribeña currently competes for the Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. A former CMLL World Women's Champion, she was also named to the PWI Female 100 list in 2018. She hails from a wrestling family, with both her father and brother being prominent wrestlers.
Panamanian track and field athlete Gianna Woodruff soared to fame as a student athlete at the University of Washington, as part of the team Washington Huskies. She broke her own record at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she ranked 7th at the women's 400m hurdles.
Panamanian footballer Erick Javier Davis Grajales is best known as a defender for the Slovak team DAC Dunajská Streda. Starting his senior career with Árabe Unido, he later also played for clubs such as Sporting San Miguelito and Fénix. He was part of the Panamanian squad that played in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
