Delbi Villa Gongora

About

Delbi Villa Gongora is a Peruvian ultra-trail runner — nicknamed 'la mobylette péruvienne' (the Peruvian moped) by French Polynesian media — who arrived in Tahiti in 2010 and only took up running in 2014, at age 26, before rising within a decade to become the top-ranked ultra-trail athlete in French Polynesia. Racing for the region across the South Pacific and beyond, he was crowned Oceania trail running champion in 2022, winning the 83km championship course in Christchurch, New Zealand in 9:35:25 — more than 24 minutes clear of the field. That same year he won the Tupuna Trail at the Xterra Tahiti Trail festival in Moorea, and later added the Mangareva Pearl Trail title, a 2nd-place finish at the X-Terra Tahiti Trail, and a 3rd place at the Montreux Trail in Switzerland, his first major result on European soil. He has twice tested himself against the world's best on the biggest stages: at the 2025 Madeira Island Ultra Trail (MIUT), a 115km race, he finished 6th overall, beating reigning women's world number one Katie Schide across the line — a result Polynesian media called 'époustouflante' (breathtaking) — and later that year he placed 21st overall at La Diagonale des Fous, Réunion Island's legendary 165km race across three volcanic cirques.

Notable Wins

• — Oceania Trail Running Championships 2022 winner (9:35:25)
• — Tupuna Trail (Xterra Tahiti) 2022 winner
• — Mangareva Pearl Trail winner
• — Madeira Island Ultra Trail (MIUT) 2025 6th (14:17:06)
• — X-Terra Tahiti Trail 2nd
• — Montreux Trail 3rd
• — La Diagonale des Fous 2025 21st

Race History