At 38 years old, the Antioquian archer Ana María Rendón returns for the fourth time to the Olympic Games, with the intention of surpassing the results obtained in the previous competitions, 16th in individual, in Beijing 2008, ninth, in teams, in Rio 2016. But above all, he longs to enjoy this new Olympic experience.
Ana María Rendon, in Rio 2016.
By Fredy Pulgarín
President Agreement Antioquia.
The legendary Colombian archer Ana María Rendón Martínez demonstrated once again her validity, by qualifying for the Olympic Games in the recurve bow modality, after an impeccable performance at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, in which she obtained the team bronze medal. women and took fourth place in individual and mixed teams.
The athlete, born in Medellín 38 years ago, thus becomes one of the most successful athletes in the country, as she has remained among the elite of world sport for more than 20 years. This is her fifth classification, but her fourth participation in the most important sports events on the planet: she qualified for Tokyo 2020, but she did not attend; Paris 2024 will be her great opportunity to proudly represent the Colombian flag again, as she has always done.
“People see us as superheroes, but we must always remember that we are human. I was close to retiring, and here I am, with all the joy and all the emotions,” she told the media after getting the ticket that will take her to Paris. “Last year I experienced a quite complex crisis, let’s say that mentally my health was not very good… that’s how I have been working, recovering that enjoyment so that the pressure is reduced a little,” said the athlete, who received an award at the ceremony. Acord Antioquia Athlete of the Year, in recognition of his sporting career.
His preparation for the remainder of the year for Paris 2024 is full of expectations and emotions: “…I started this year sportingly, with my mind set on Paris; I started with three indoor events, which is very different from what we are going to see in the Olympic Games, but it helps me obtain more tools to face the upcoming competitions.” Ana María will surely seek to surpass the best records she has obtained in previous competitions: in the individual event she placed 16th in Beijing 2008 and in teams, ninth in Rio 2016.
For Ana María, being in the biggest sporting event in the world is a great honor for any athlete and she says “…the first step that is the most difficult is to get there, then, you have to enjoy everything, believe that you are also one of the best of the world and that you are there because you deserve it.”
Her passion for archery keeps her among the best in the world, inspiring new generations with her dedication, discipline and talent. “Remember that discipline and perseverance take you far, but you have to enjoy and love what you do. We are human, we make mistakes, we learn and advance, but we have to be disciplined and persevere,” the goalkeeper said to the new generations of athletes who fight for their dreams.
When thinking about a new Olympic Cycle, he says: “there is a long way to go, my mind was light years away and the body is tired, preparation has to do with living day to day, the present, the immediate, not the future.”
What Colombian sports lovers can be sure of is that we will have Ana María for a long time, an exemplary and disciplined athlete who faces each sporting event with great competitiveness, because as she herself says: “…I always believe that I am going to shoot arrows.”
2024-02-27 01:25:00
#Perseverance #Paris #Colombian #Olympic #Committee
