# Melissa Gonzalez (hurdler)

Melissa Blough (née Gonzalez; born June 24, 1994) is a Colombian American athlete specializing in the 400 meters hurdles and 4 × 400 meters relay. A native of El Paso, Texas, U.S., she also holds Colombian citizenship and represents them at international events. She has won several gold medals, mostly in South American competitions and set a personal best of 55.32 seconds at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Gonzalez is married to American football coach and former player David Blough while her younger brother, Christian Gonzalez, was selected in the 2023 NFL draft.

## International competitions

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| Representing Colombia ||||||
| 2016 | South American U23 Championships | Lima, Peru | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 59.26 |
| 2016 | South American U23 Championships | Lima, Peru | – | 4 × 100 m relay | DNF |
| 2016 | South American U23 Championships | Lima, Peru | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:42.19 |
| 2017 | South American Championships | Asunción, Paraguay | 3rd | 100 m hurdles | 13.42 |
| 2017 | South American Championships | Asunción, Paraguay | 2nd | 400 m hurdles | 56.29 |
| 2017 | Bolivarian Games | Santa Marta, Colombia | 5th | 100 m hurdles | 14.21 |
| 2017 | Bolivarian Games | Santa Marta, Colombia | 3rd | 400 m hurdles | 58.14 |
| 2017 | Bolivarian Games | Santa Marta, Colombia | 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | 45.96 |
| 2018 | South American Games | Cochabamba, Bolivia | 2nd | 400 m hurdles | 56.86 |
| 2018 | South American Games | Cochabamba, Bolivia | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:31.87 |
| 2018 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Barranquilla, Colombia | 7th | 400 m hurdles | 56.57 |
| 2018 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Barranquilla, Colombia | 3rd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:32.61 |
| 2019 | South American Championships | Lima, Peru | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 55.73 |
| 2019 | South American Championships | Lima, Peru | 2nd | 4 × 100 m relay | 44.97 |
| 2019 | South American Championships | Lima, Peru | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:32.81 |
| 2019 | Pan American Games | Lima, Peru | 9th (h) | 400 m hurdles | 56.78 |
| 2019 | Pan American Games | Lima, Peru | 6th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:33.02 |
| 2019 | World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 26th (h) | 400 m hurdles | 56.49 |
| 2021 | South American Championships | Guayaquil, Ecuador | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 55.68 |
| 2021 | South American Championships | Guayaquil, Ecuador | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:31.04 |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 20th (sf) | 400 m hurdles | 57.47 |
| 2022 | Ibero-American Championships | La Nucía, Spain | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 54.87 |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, United States | 17th (sf) | 400 m hurdles | 55.13 |

## Personal life

Gonzalez is a Roman Catholic. She is a citizen of both the United States and Colombia and married American football coach and former quarterback David Blough in March 2019. Her father Hector is 6-foot-9 and played college basketball at the University of Texas at El Paso before playing semiprofessionally in Colombia. Gonzalez has two sisters, Samantha and Lily, and a brother, Christian. Samantha also represents Colombia in international events and was a college All-American in the 4 × 400 meters relay at the University of Miami, while Christian played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes and Oregon Ducks before being drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.