▲ The tricolor taekwondoin (left) wants to be in the 2024 Olympics, after not qualifying for Tokyo 2020. Photo @COM_Mexico
Adriana Diaz Reyes
La Jornada Newspaper
Thursday, March 21, 2024, p. a12
Brandon Plaza, Mexican taekwondo team, learned the philosophy of not looking back in Korea. A lesson that he applies every day in his preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Belonging to the 58 kilogram category, he faces the final stretch towards the summer fair completely focused and determined not to repeat the story of four years ago, when he failed to qualify for Tokyo 2020.
It’s not going to be easy getting a ticket, but I’ve had a productive few months and a camp that has helped me feel much more confident and ready for the challenge. I am going to give all my effort to add one more member to the national delegation, commented the athlete, who, together with Leslie Soltero, will participate on April 19 and 20 in the qualifying tournament to be held in Santo Domingo.
Plaza has a perfect pace in the cycle, achieving gold in both the Central American Games in San Salvador and the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. In 2022 he became number three in the world, and although he currently occupies box 12, he is optimistic about having a good result in Santo Domingo.
I want it to be a good year for me and for Mexico, we know that we can make history, so we start very strong, already with camps and competitions and one hundred percent motivated. The most challenging months are coming.
At the beginning of the year, Brandon and Leslie had a 16-day camp in South Korea, where they were able to practice sparring, distance, and train with local taekwon-doins, considered among the best in the world. A few days ago Plaza also won a silver medal at the Belgian Open, where he lost to the Italian Vito Dell Aquila.
There is time, but the qualifier is also around the corner, we must not get complacent, we must do the best we can. My expectations are always high, we are preparing well; I know that we are going to achieve it, said the man from Querétaro, winner of the 2023 State Sports Award.
So far, Mexico has two Olympic places obtained by Carlos Sansores (+80 kg) and Daniela Souza (49 kg). The objective is to bring a full team to Paris (4) as did not happen in Tokyo, where the discipline was represented by Briseida Acosta and Sansores.
The last national representative in the men’s 58 kilograms was Carlos Navarro in Rio de Janeiro 2016.
In the coming weeks, Plaza and Soltero will concentrate together with their coach David Davis, who will define the last competitions before Paris.
2024-03-21 10:40:56
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