- The country managed to classify the largest number of athletes to Olympic and Paralympic jousts.
- The first gold achieved by Costa Rica in the Paralympic Games with Sherman Guity in the 200 meter dash T64 in Tokyo stands out.
- A new generation of Costa Rican athletes shone in the Junior Pan-American Games, managing to rank as the best delegation in Central America by adding 10 medals: 2 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze.
- In total, more than ₡ 448 million were invested by the government of the Republic to ensure the participation of athletes and for athletes in the different international jousts.
The sport of Costa Rica lived a dream year with positive results in high performance and with a promising future for the new generation of athletes that already brings triumphs to the country, according to a balance made by the National Olympic Committee.
In the last twelve months, Costa Rica not only managed to classify the largest number of athletes in its history to the Olympic Games, with a total of eleven, but for the first time the National Anthem of our country was heard in style in a few Paralympic Games, with gold won in Tokyo by Sherman Guity Guity in the 200 meter dash T64 and silver in the 100 meter T64.
In those jousts – held from August 24 to September 5 – there were also outstanding presentations such as Andrés Molina in Taekwondo, who placed fifth in the category of +75 kilograms.
At the Tokyo Olympic Games -from July 23 to August 8- the effort and discipline of the national athletes yielded the expected fruit. Kenneth Tencio stroked bronze and placed a historic fourth in BMX Freestyle; Brisa Hennessy made the whole country proud with a fifth place in surfing; and Ignacio Sancho gave Costa Rica its first victory in judo of an Olympic Games and reached ninth place.
For the first time, two Costa Rican athletes starred in an unprecedented event in Tokyo: being the first pair of Costa Rican sisters to compete in the same Olympics. They are Andrea Vargas -who placed ninth in the 100-meter hurdles- and Noelia Vargas, who finished in 21st place of the 20-km march, among 58 competitors.
The Minister of Sport, Karla Alemán, thanked the athletes for “reminding us that discipline involves perseverance, constant effort and technical and family support. That is why we work in coordination to advance the dream of our athletes to reach the top, “he said.
Junior Pan American Games. On the other hand, and in the framework of the first Cali 2021 Junior Pan American Games, Costa Rica shone and a new generation of athletes managed to place the country as the best delegation in Central America by adding 10 medals; 2 golds, 3 silvers and 5 bronzes.
In addition, in most of the 21 disciplines in which the country was represented, athletes were among the best 8 in America. In total, they won 48 Pan American diplomas. Recognition is awarded to all athletes who placed between first and eighth overall.
Other triumphs. At an individual level there were also historical results such as the world runner-up in racquetball for Andrés Acuña and the ticket among the best 12 in the world to be in the World Games; the classification of Brisa Hennessy and Carlos Muñoz to the World Surfing Tour; and Kenneth Tencio’s first place in the Pan American BMX Freestyle.
“2021 was satisfying and I am proud to see the sport grow. The motivation is enormous for everything that comes at a competitive level. We want to maintain great results in Central American, Central American and Caribbean games and of course in major Pan American games. In Paris, we also want to see the great athletes that Costa Rica is generating to their full potential ”, stated the president of the NOC, Alexander Zamora.
Coincidentally, the president of the National Paralympic Committee, Andrés Carvajal stressed that this year has been historic for Paralympic sport in our country, “not only because of the creation of the Paralympic Committee in January of this year, but also because of the historical representation in the Paralympic Games. from Tokyo, ”he said.
“In addition, two medals were generated for the first time in this type of sporting event by Sherman Guity, sending a powerful message that the national and international movement will continue to grow in all its para-sports and in its modalities to represent Costa Rica of the better way ”, added Carvajal.
Investment. It should be noted that the success was due to an articulated work between the sports authorities.
The support of the Ministry of Sports (Midepor) and the Costa Rican Institute of Sports and Recreation (ICODER) allowed the National Olympic Cité (CON) to invest ₡ 448,485,175 for the participation of athletes in the official competitions of the year that is to be concluded.
The resources were also an incentive for young athletes who are standing out in non-traditional disciplines for the country such as gymnastics, archery, judo and fencing, among others.
Costa Rica has a rapidly growing sports hotbed and by 2022 the goal is for the sporting results to be even higher and for the Olympic cycle to successfully culminate the biggest sporting event: the Olympic Games, whose next venues will be in Paris in 2024 and in Los Angeles in 2028.
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