Julián Andrés Santa
The Pereira Menor Coliseum is the home of the new sports reserves in badminton and para-badminton, with the competitions in the last days of the National and Paranational Youth Games. For the Risaralda athletes, it has been a more than pleasant experience and they hope to continue learning and growing in their process, despite the previous difficulties they had such as the short time to have been able to train on their stage.
One of the members of the Rirasaldense delegation is Gabriela Ortíz. “I’ve been there for a year and a half or so, I started in March 2023. I was in skating, I lasted nine years there and I made the decision to leave and found this sport very nice. At first it was hard for me because I lasted a long time in skating but a change is not bad, everything happens for a reason.”
Natalia Ochoa, also a member of Risaralda, has been obtaining important results. He came to badminton four years ago. “I am excited, giving everything so that those four years of training reflect the results.” Without a doubt, Juliana Giraldo is her great reference: “she has always supported and helped us, she is always there and for one she is like an image, an example to follow.”
At the same time, the para-badminton competitions are taking place, where Rosahiris Ozuna is a representative of Sucre and leaves a nice message. “I have a broken hip and I thought I wouldn’t be able to do any type of sport. My message is that there are no borders and that if we have faith, everything will turn out well.”
Risaralda’s coach, Willian Gutiérrez, highlights: “Very gratifying and grateful to the Ministry for having carried out this event that we longed for, our athletes wanted to participate because it was a historic event and they were very happy with the organization. An event and a setting worthy of our sport, I hope to hold an international event here in the future.”
One of the athletes who looked to be a medalist in these youth nationals is Juliana Castaño, who, due to an injury, was unable to participate. “Nowadays, on this stage there should be the best athlete that the country has, who is from Riseraldense, Juliana Castaño, but just in the qualification for this event, she suffered a knee injury and that is why, because our Risraldense athletes are not used to participating in this type of terrain that is the technique of this discipline.”
In para badminton, athletes of short stature, with fractures in some part of their body or in wheelchairs participate, which reflects that the love for sport is superior to everything.
“I have felt very good, acquiring new experiences, there are very strong girls but you have to have fun, enjoy and give your best.”
“I learned about this sport when I lived in France, it is very famous there. When I came here to Colombia, I wanted to try it to see what it would do and that’s where I got the passion.”
