María Virginia Báez

{{Short description|Paraguayan swimmer (born 1991)}}

{{Infobox swimmer

| name = María Virginia Báez

| image =

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| fullname = María Virginia Báez Franco

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| national_team = {{PAR}}

| strokes = Backstroke

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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1991|11|18|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Asunción, Paraguay

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| height = {{convert|1.71|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|70|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}

| show-medals = yes

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}}

María Virginia Báez Franco (born November 18, 1991) is a Paraguayan swimmer, who specialized in backstroke events.{{cite web|title=María Virginia Báez|url=http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/1/8002413.shtml|publisher=Beijing 2008|accessdate=12 January 2016}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite sports-reference|title = María Virginia Báez|url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ba/maria-baez-1.html|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200418004020/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ba/maria-baez-1.html|url-status = dead|archive-date = 18 April 2020|access-date = 8 December 2012}} She has been selected to represent Paraguay at the 2008 Summer Olympics, placing among the top 48 swimmers in the women's 100 m backstroke.

Baez was invited by FINA to compete as a lone female swimmer for Paraguay in the 100 m backstroke at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.{{cite news|title=Mi objetivo es bajar aun más mi tiempo|trans-title="My goal is to lower my entry standard time"|language=es|url=http://www.abc.com.py/deportes/mi-objetivo-es-bajar-aun-mas-mi-tiempo-1086016.html|publisher=Diario ABC Color|date=21 July 2008|accessdate=10 March 2016}} Swimming against Bermuda's Kiera Aitken and Panama's Christie Bodden in heat one, Baez tried to hold on with Aitken throughout the race, but could not catch her near the wall to finish only with a second-place time and establish a Paraguayan national record in 1:05.39. Baez, however, failed to advance into the semi-finals, as he placed forty-sixth overall in the prelims.{{cite web|title=Swimming: Women's 100m Backstroke – Heat 1 |url=http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/swimming/resultsandschedules/rsc=SWW041900/index.html |work=Beijing 2008 |publisher=NBC Olympics |accessdate=8 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120821032355/http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/swimming/resultsandschedules/rsc%3DSWW041900/index.html |archivedate=21 August 2012 }}{{cite news|title=María Virginia Báez bajó su récord|trans-title=María Virginia Báez breaks the record|language=es|url=http://www.abc.com.py/deportes/maria-virginia-baez-bajo-su-record-1091946.html|publisher=Diario ABC Color|date=11 August 2008|accessdate=10 March 2016}}