Judoka Rocío Ledesma, who qualified for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and will remain in Río Grande for a week, was recognized from the official spheres.
BIG RIVER.- Judoka Rocío Ledesma had an extremely busy Friday, who a week ago confirmed – at the Georgian Grand Prix – her qualification for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, from August 28 to September 6.
That day he arrived in Río Grande -via Ushuaia-, and his performance was recognized by Mayor Martín Pérez and the authorities of the Sports Secretariat of the province (Secretary Matías Runín), and the Municipal Sports Agency (the director of Silvana Canalis Sports). His return to Buenos Aires – where he has lived since 2015 – will be next Sunday, June 2, to resume the training plan, with a view to the Games.
THE FIRST TEACHER. Rocío and -among others- Daniel Alvarez, with whom she began training in the South Bank, in 2007.
A long way
“It’s very crazy, when I was 11/12 years old, when I got to the pre-Olympic team, I found out that there were blind and visually impaired kids who competed, that there was a Paralympic Federation. I told myself why not go to a Pre-Olympic Games?, and that’s how it all began. To train harder with the Escuelita, I told my Sensei if I could stay outside class time, together with the older ones, I wanted to be stronger and have more technique. In 2014 I took a year off from school, in 2 months I think I passed all the 9th year subjects, today 3rd year of ESO. I wanted to get to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games. I didn’t get there, I was very young, I was 15/16 years old, I just turned 18 in 2016, but they were my beginnings at that Paralympic level. For Tokyo 2020, which due to the pandemic took place a year later, I finished 11th, and the first 9 entered.”
The Melon Theory
The athlete, born 26 years ago in Corrientes (where she began practicing judo), jokingly commented on the Melon Theory. “My Sensei Ricardo (Costilla) told me that if the melon arrived very green at a competition, it was no good, you couldn’t eat it; and if it got too mature, neither. He had to be in his right spot, and now we are in that situation. Now I have enough experience, psychological and sporting maturity, that comes from traveling and tournaments. “Everything happens for a reason, at the time.”
positive change
Asked about the official decision to downgrade (the 52 kilo category disappeared and the next one is 57 kilos, moving her to the 48 kilo category), and if the application of divisions benefited her (J1 for blind athletes or those with a higher level of visual decrease, and J2), Ledesma pointed out that “at first it was a quite profound change, the athletes had a different type of strength and mobility than what I was used to. At 48 kilos there is a little more speed. I was able to adjust to the weight, I have no problems. When traveling I am at 49.5 kilos, up to 50, but throughout the trip and with the training prior to the tournament I enter the category.”
Last year
“This year there were three tournaments (Heidelberg, Germany; Antalya, Turkey; and Tbilisi, Georgia), and now we have to train towards Paris. 80% of those classified by ranking are already known, we still do not know what date we will travel, nor if 2 or 3 coaches (Guillermo Traba and Walter Dzurovcin) will go with me and the three Argentinians classified (all in J1): Eduardo Gauto (Lanús , -73 kilos); Nadia Boggiano (Rosario, -70 kilos) and Paula Gómez (Morón, -57 kilos). In my category we are 6 classified: Rosicleide De Andrade (Brazil/1st), Ecem Tasin Cavdar (Turkey/2nd), Nataliya Nikolaychyk (Ukraine/3rd), Khaiitkhon Khusan Kyzy (Kyrgyzstan/4th), Shizuka Hangai ( Japan/6th) and me, who is fifth in the world ranking.”
Do not forget
“The Ukrainian and the Turkish ones are the most difficult. The Ukrainian is a Paralympic and world champion, and she put me to sleep twice with a strangulation, I don’t get along very well with that girl. When I woke up on the tatami I said to myself, What happened, I’m not in my bed? That’s when I realized that I had lost. That happened in Birmingham (England), in 2021; and in Tokyo 2023.
More compliments
The national deputy Jorge “Koky” Araujo gave him a Declaration of National Interest. “This was formalized together with Carlos Turdó, who advises me in the Chamber of Deputies. Rocío is also part of a list of four athletes from the province, along with Mariano Coto (judo), Renata Godoy (athletics) and Aldana Amorós (karate), of whom one will be designated to receive the Malvinas Islands award.”
While the Secretary of Sports Matías Runín gave him the ticket back to Buenos Aires. “You are a source of pride for all of us, an example for all athletes in the province, thank you for your effort and perseverance,” said the official.
2024-05-27 05:15:20
#Recognition #Rocío #Diario #Sureño
