# Nery Brenes

Nery Antonio Brenes Cárdenas, (born September 25, 1985) is a Costa Rican sprinter. He is one of Costa Rica's most prominent track and field athletes and reached the semi-finals at the 400 m sprint in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Brenes won the gold medal at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, setting a new national and championship record. "Brenes improved his personal mark by approximately one second, something nobody expected on a championship, taking the gold medal", cited his trainer and motivator Andrés Oro Fijo Calderón. He has participated in major events like the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka, Japan, and achieved a 4th-place finish at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain. He also finished in 3rd place at the 2008 ÅF Golden League meet in Oslo, Norway.

## Personal bests
### Outdoor

* 200 m: 20.20 s – Rio de Janeiro, 16 August 2016
* 400 m: 44.60 s – Madrid, 23 June 2016

### Indoor

* 400 m: 45.11 s – Istanbul, 10 March 2012

## International competitions

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| Representing Costa Rica ||||||
| 2004 | Central American Junior Championships | San José, Costa Rica | 2nd | 200 m | 21.91 (-2.3 m/s) |
| 2004 | Central American Junior Championships | San José, Costa Rica | 2nd | 400 m | 48.00 |
| 2004 | Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships | Coatzacoalcos, Mexico | 3rd | 400 m | 48.05 |
| 2004 | Central American Championships | Managua, Nicaragua | 1st | 400 m | 47.91 |
| 2004 | Central American Championships | Managua, Nicaragua | 1st | 4 × 400 m | 3:16.80 CR |
| 2005 | Central American Championships | San José, Costa Rica | 1st | 400 m | 46.42 CR |
| 2005 | Central American Championships | San José, Costa Rica | 1st | 4 × 400 m | 3:15.52 CR |
| 2005 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 38th (h) | 400 m | 47.11 |
| 2006 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Cartagena, Colombia | 16th (h) | 200 m | 21.94 |
| 2006 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Cartagena, Colombia | 18th (h) | 400 m | 47.57 |
| 2007 | Central American Championships | San José, Costa Rica | 1st | 200 m | 21.37 (+1.4 m/s) |
| 2007 | Central American Championships | San José, Costa Rica | 1st | 400 m | 47.40 |
| 2007 | Central American Championships | San José, Costa Rica | 2nd | 4 × 400 m | 3:14.32 |
| 2007 | NACAC Championships | San Salvador, El Salvador | 3rd | 400 m | 46.00 |
| 2007 | World Championships | Osaka, Japan | 11th (sf) | 400 m | 45.01 |
| 2008 | World Indoor Championships | Valencia, Spain | 4th | 400 m | 46.65 |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 10th (sf) | 400 m | 44.94 |
| 2009 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Havana, Cuba | 4th | 400 m | 45.92 |
| 2010 | World Indoor Championships | Doha, Qatar | 4th | 400 m | 46.55 |
| 2010 | Central American Games | Panama City, Panama | 1st | 400 m | 47.21 GR |
| 2010 | Central American Games | Panama City, Panama | 1st | 4 × 400 m | 3:12.41 GR |
| 2010 | Ibero-American Championships | San Fernando, Spain | 1st | 400 m | 45.19 |
| 2010 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Mayagüez, Puerto Rico | 1st | 400 m | 44.84 |
| 2010 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Mayagüez, Puerto Rico | 7th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:10.21 |
| 2011 | Central American Championships | San José, Costa Rica | 1st | 400 m | 45.85 CR |
| 2011 | World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 17th (sf) | 400 m | 45.93 |
| 2011 | Pan American Games | Guadalajara, Mexico | 1st | 400 m | 44.65 |
| 2012 | World Indoor Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | 1st | 400 m | 45.11 |
| 2012 | Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 24th (h) | 400 m | 45.65 |
| 2013 | Central American Championships | Managua, Nicaragua | 1st | 400 m | 46.67 |
| 2013 | Central American Championships | Managua, Nicaragua | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:13.40 |
| 2013 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Morelia, Mexico | 4th | 400 m | 46.22 |
| 2013 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Morelia, Mexico | 6th | 4 × 400 m | 3:08.77 |
| 2013 | World Championships | Moscow, Russia | 24th (sf) | 400 m | 46.34 |
| 2014 | World Indoor Championships | Sopot, Poland | 6th | 400 m | 47.32 |
| 2014 | Ibero-American Championships | São Paulo, Brazil | 3rd | 400 m | 45.97 |
| 2014 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Xalapa, Mexico | 8th | 400m | 46.82 A |
| 2014 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Xalapa, Mexico | 5th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:08.02 A |
| 2015 | NACAC Championships | San José, Costa Rica | 2nd | 400m | 45.22 |
| 2015 | NACAC Championships | San José, Costa Rica | 6th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:07.34 |
| 2015 | World Championships | Beijing, China | 21st (sf) | 400 m | 45.41 |
| 2016 | World Indoor Championships | Portland, United States | 7th (sf) | 400 m | 46.49 |
| 2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 15th (sf) | 200 m | 20.33 |
| 2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 14th (sf) | 400 m | 45.02 |
| 2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | — | 400 m | DQ |
| 2018 | World Indoor Championships | Birmingham, United Kingdom | – | 400 m | DQ |
| 2018 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Barranquilla, Colombia | 3rd | 400 m | 45.61 |
| 2018 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Barranquilla, Colombia | 6th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:08.31 |
| 2018 | NACAC Championships | Toronto, Canada | 2nd | 400 m | 45.67 |
| 2018 | Ibero-American Championships | Trujillo, Peru | 3rd | 200 m | 20.88 |
| 2018 | Ibero-American Championships | Trujillo, Peru | 2nd | 400 m | 46.27 |
| 2019 | Pan American Games | Lima, Peru | 15th (h) | 400 m | 47.48 |