Caterine was born in the Urabá region of Antioquia, where she was raised by her grandmother after her parents separated because of the armed conflict in Colombia.

Caterine first played volleyball, and Wilder Zapata, her coach, noticed her skill and suggested she play in Medellín, which had the high-profile Atanasio Girardot Sports Complex as a venue for national and international games.

There, she began her training in 1996 with the Cuban coach Jorge Luis Alfaro, specializing in the high jump.

She held the South American record in the triple jump with 15.31 m from July 2014 until September 2019.

On 1 September 2011, she obtained the bronze medal at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu with a 14.84 m performance.