Manuel Jesús Plaza Reyes ((17 March 1900 – 9 February 1969) was a Chilean athlete who won the country's first Olympic medal.

His family later moved to Santiago, where he attended elementary school at Desiderio Araneda on San Alfonso Street.

After learning basic reading, writing, and math, he worked as a newsboy, which he credited with helping him develop his athletic abilities while pursuing his sporting career.

[7] Plaza was inspired by runners such as Martiniano Becerra, Benjamín Flores, and Juan Jorquera, which led him to pursue athletics.

He was Chile's flag bearer at the opening ceremonies of the 1924 Paris and 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games.