The Paralympic athlete from Bariloche, Karina Loyola, had an excellent performance in the Interprovincial Open Parabadminton and Badminton tournament, which was held in Villa Mercedes, San Luis province, with players from different parts of the country. There she achieved the first prize in her SH6 category in Female Single and Mixed Double, and was third in Open Single.
Karina, who excelled in athletics -in shot put and discus-, disciplines in which she came to represent Argentina and Bariloche in the Paralympic Games in Rio 2016 and Parapan American Games in Lima 2019-, now trains with the national para-badminton team.
“Athletics was quite stagnant – you compete with your own brand, and the advances you can make are millimeter-high – and due to other situations that also led me to change. And I came across badminton, ”he said.
“I loved it, it was the opposite of what I did. The other was very individual, “he said. “These are games, it’s as a team and it’s totally different. And I needed to have a radical change ”. When he arrived in Buenos Aires, he began training at CENARD. “I went and did not leave more. I trained there until May 2020. Due to the issue of the pandemic, I returned to Bariloche ”.
Since he arrived, he has trained in the Bariloche Badminton Association, and the goal is to participate in the 2023 Pan-American competition in Chile. “I have a very good coach and also, every so often, I go to Buenos Aires. This year, there were two tournaments abroad, in Peru and in Paraguay, qualifying for the Parapan American Games in Santiago 2023. Everything was suspended now, due to the pandemic, and it was decided to hold national matches tournaments. Add as much as possible to get there ”.
He also referred to the Tokyo Paralympic Games. “It was impressive. I followed them as long as I could. It was a record, we made nine medals. Very good participation from Argentina ”, he highlighted. He also said that it is the first time that badminton participates in the Paralympic Games.
The next commitments are not yet confirmed, although it will probably be another national tournament in Mendoza. In the championship that took place last weekend in San Luis, representatives from San Luis, Córdoba, Entre Ríos, Mendoza and Buenos Aires could meet. “It was the first time that we were all,” he said. “It would be nice to organize something here. The other provinces are always ready to continue promoting this sport ”.
