By Camila Cadel
The sport from Mar del Plata is a hotbed of athletes who do not stop surprising with high performance. In the city there are many representatives of the National Team spread across a variety of unimaginable disciplines, such as table tennis, also known as ping pong.
One of the athletes from Mar del Plata who practices the sport is Camila Pérez, who is 17 years old. and at his young age, he represents the country in the under 19 category. This year he finished his secondary studies along with competitions and training and He plans a 2023 in Buenos Aires, to study medicine and train intensely with the Argentine national team.
“I started this sport at 12 in the only place available in the city, the Club Ingeniero Acosta. Although it is a discipline that does not go viral in the country, it was not difficult for me to find a place to train it because my brother is the owner and he is also the one who trains me here. This made it more accessible and practical for me,” said the athlete.
“Currently I play for the Fénix club in Buenos Aires, therefore every time I compete, I represent them. I discovered that I liked ping pong because as I competed, I became more and more passionate and because I considered that I could have a level to start showing myself in national tournaments. That’s when I decided to take it seriously, not so much as a hobby,” Perez said.
“When I started, at the same time I did acrobatics on the cloth and since I liked table tennis so much, I decided to stop and focus solely on it. That way I was able to train more and dedicate time to it that I didn’t have before,” he continued.
Her first competition was in 2017 at the Buenos Aires games, where she placed second and there she was able to discover her passion for the sport. It is a discipline that runs in the family because his brother has the same passion and owns the only club where he trains, in Mar del Plata.
“One of the main reasons why I started with table tennis was because my family is involved in the sport and that made it easier for me to access it. It would have been different if I had to start in a place without knowing anything,” said the local athlete.
“My entry into the national team was in December 2021 where only 4 people are classified, both men and women and from each categoryPerez explained.
Regarding her life as an athlete and her obligations, Camila said: “My training this year varied a lot because I was in the national team. I study in Mar del Plata and that made it difficult for me, so I was only able to travel to train in the preseason and when an international tournament was approaching, which so far I’ve been to four so far this year. Since I can’t go often, when I go I train double shifts between 5 and 6 days and add to that, a physical 3 times a week”.
The athlete from Mar del Plata has just finished high school and plans to leave next year to live in Buenos Aires at the lodging of the National Center for High Performance Sports (Cenard), where he could train and at the same time study medicine at the UBA. His wish for the future is to continue both activities at the same time and try to reach Europe as an athlete.
“Now I come from disputing the Open to the Republic tournament which started on December 8, where I competed in three categories, under 19 where I lost in the quarterfinals, under 23 where I was champion and in the older ladieswhich is free and any woman can sign up, I also won against a girl who was very good and whom I had never been able to beat“Perez said.
in this competitionwhich was played in the Cenard, Camila had a difficult definition that consecrated the 4-3 victory against Muriel Rajmil from Rosario. She was the one who represented the Argentine National Team in the South American Youth Games Rosario 2022 and she had a dream week as she also won in the Under 19 category by beating Manuela Pereyra (also “Sudamericana” in Rosario) in the final.
“At the same time, the Master Tournament which was during December 11 and 12, which is a new competition and where only the best 8 in the ranking can participate. There I competed in the same categories, where I was third, second and third in seniors and that’s how I closed my year,” said the athlete from the local team.
By way of conclusion, the table tennis athlete explained what her goals are for next year: “Now only I still have to prepare for 2023, where my first big objective is to re-enter the Argentine National Team, because it is renewed every year, and then what awaits me is to go live in Buenos Aires where I will prepare myself in a better way in training and studying. I’m focused on that and seeing what it holds for me.”
