After winning the Brazil International Series 2022 this weekend, Salvadoran Uriel Canjura, beneficiary of the INDES incentive for sports merit, climbed to number 104 in the world individual badminton ranking and to ninth position in the Pan American ranking.
This is a double historical milestone for Canjura, since he is the first Salvadoran to be among the best 105 badminton players in the world and, for the first time, he is in the top ten at a continental level.
“As the Salvadoran Badminton Federation (Fesalbad) we are very happy, satisfied and proud with this achievement of Uriel, because the objectives and goals that were projected with him are being met,” said René Madrid, technical director of the federation.
When 2022 began, Canjura was ranked 145th in the world ranking, so the improvement has been considerable thanks to his participation in different tournaments such as the 57 Portugal International Championships 2022, the II Mexican International Challenge 2022, the XXV Pan Am Individual Championships 2022 and the XII Santo Domingo Open 2022.
“I feel happy, but there is still a long way to go and we cannot be satisfied, we have a lot to improve and more tournaments in which I have to compete. The objectives are to improve the results in the upcoming tournaments, to continue advancing in the ranking and to seek qualification for Paris”, expressed Canjura.
Now the goal is for Uriel to finish the year among the best 100 badminton players in the world, for which he is scheduled to participate in the VIII Guatemala International Series, to be held from September 27 to October 2, and in the Peru International Series 2022, to be held in Lima, from October 19 to 23.
And it is that for Fesalbad it is important that Canjura start 2023, among the best 100 athletes, since in this way they will trace the route so that the athlete climbs to box 70 in the world ranking and can fight for the ticket to the Paris Olympic Games 2024.
“Our goal is that when the qualifying route to the Olympic Games begins, in May 2023, Uriel will be among the 70 best in the world and thus we will look for strategic events in which he can participate and win, to become among the best 50 of the world and thus ensure qualification for Paris 2024”, explained the technical director of the federation, who mentioned that the qualification period will be from May 2023 to April 2024.
