Valeria Estefanía Sangoquiza Vásquez, Vanessa María Alder Caisalitín, in Athletics, and Emilia Alejandra Dávila Durán, in Sport Climbing, are the three athletes from Cotopaxi who are part of the National Team that will represent Ecuador in the Third South American Youth Games ‘Rosario 2022’, which will take place from April 28 to May 8, in Argentina.
The tricolor delegation is made up of a total of 149 athletes, who will compete in Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Handball, Boxing, Cycling, Climbing, Fencing, Gymnastics, Judo, Karate Do, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Swimming, Skating, Tae Kwon Do, Tennis, Table Tennis, Archery, Triathlon and Volleyball, 21 of the 26 disciplines convened by the South American Sports Organization (Odesur), the main executor of the competition.
Climbing Sports-Block: Emilia Dávila Durán will be the first to leave for the event. The 15-year-old athlete will represent Ecuador in the ‘Block’ modality of Sport Climbing, the only specialty that will be in international dispute, along with three other climbers: Doménica Ruano, Paolo Rivadeneira and Tomás Chicaiza.
Dávila, together with the members of the Sport Climbing team, traveled to Argentina on Thursday, April 14, where they will carry out an international training base prior to their official participation in the games. His discipline will be in competition, according to the official calendar, between Saturday April 30 and Sunday May 1.
The revelation of provincial climbing comes from winning a Gold medal in the ‘Difficulty’ modality and a Silver medal in the ‘Allround’ of the South American Youth Sports Climbing Championship ‘Santiago 2022’ (Chile), triumphs that gave him the classification to ‘ Rosario 2022’. In the week prior to her trip, she achieved second place in ‘Difficulty’ and third place in ‘Block’, in the first valid of the 2022 National Sport Climbing Championship.
‘It is very important for me to have this opportunity to represent my country. I feel very happy and grateful for this, I really have no words, I will give my best to be able to leave the name of Ecuador at the top. Everything will turn out better than expected, I am very sure of myself and my abilities to get the best position,’ commented Emilia before her flight.
Athletics-1500m: Vanessa Alder Caisalitín is the daughter of Janeth Caisalitín, also a Cotopaxense athlete. One of her most representative triumphs was the one she achieved representing Ecuador at the U-18 South American Athletics Championship, held in Paraguay in September 2021, in which she won a Bronze medal in the 3,000m flat.
The 16-year-old athlete will represent Ecuador at the ‘Rosario 2022’ South American Youth Games in the 1,500m flat test. She will share the starting lane with her teammate Álison Guamán Tizalema. Athletics tests at the Rosario municipal stadium will be between May 5 and 8.
‘I am very happy for the opportunity I have to represent Ecuador in this competition. I am very excited to be able to participate in the South American Games that will be held in Argentina’, said Vanessa from the United States.
Athletics-2000m & 3000m: Valeria Sangoquiza Vásquez comes from a family of outstanding athletes, who have left the name of the province of Cotopaxi at the top. Her brother, David Sangoquiza, multi-national champion, paved the way for Valeria to follow in her footsteps from an early age.
In 2019, at the ‘Asunción-Paraguay’ South American School Games, he reached first place in the competition and since then he has carved out a path of national and international laurels. So far in the 2022 season, his latest victories stand out in the U-18 Prejuvenile National Interclub Championship convened by the Ecuadorian Athletics Federation, a competition in which he won first place in the 2,000m and 3,000m flat events, registering its name as the best exponent of these specialties in the country.
The 16-year-old athlete is the only athlete who appears on the official list of the delegation to compete in the middle-distance events in Argentina. These competitions will also take place in the municipal stadium of Rosario, between May 5 and 8. (FDC).
