This weekend, the start of badminton, judo and boccia competitions in the first National Youth Games It brought with it new challenges and victories for national athletes, while other sports, such as swimming races, closed their participation with a positive balance.
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Swimming says goodbye without medals, but with great learnings
Swimming in the racing categories concluded this Saturday without obtaining medals, but with great learning for the young Risaraldense athletes. Luis Eduardo Quintero, president of the Risaraldense Swimming League, highlighted that, although the delegation did not manage to get on the podium, the team’s performance was very positive, considering that they have only been in the preparation process for six months.
“We had a very young team that is beginning to participate in national events, such as the Interleague and the National Youth Games. Despite being rookies and having so little preparation time, most of our athletes were among the top six in their tests,” said Quintero, who showed optimism for the future of swimming in the region.
Badminton, Judo and Boccia, the future of youth sports
Meanwhile, in the Pereira Minor Coliseumbadminton began with an outstanding participation of the Risraldenses. The “Caste of Champions” delegation achieved victories in both the men’s and women’s categories, leaving good expectations for the next matches.
Sandra Milena Vélez Correa, head of mission of Risaralda in these National Games, stated that the balance is highly satisfactory, with a notable projection of young talents in sports such as boxing, and added that the goal is to continue strengthening the sporting level for future competencies.
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In the debut of the boccia discipline, Risaralda started strongly. Valeria Cardona Espinosa achieved a tight 6-5 victory in the BC2 women’s category, while Víctor Alexis Rojas won emphatically 11-2 in the BC2 men’s category, demonstrating the great potential of the region in this modality.