Video:Blind competitors try to qualify for Parapan American Games from time limit Watch Video

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✓ Published: 19-Apr-2024

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Rosarito Beach. – Some are older than 50, others barely past adolescence, all pushing themselves to their physical and emotional limits. And all blind.A total of 300 athletes from across Mexico, supported by 80 guides, competed over the weekend in the National Championship for the Blind and Visually Impaired held in this beach’s city sports training center.The best 21 teams qualified for the Parapan American Games in Guadalajara, the most important sports competition for disabled athletes in the American continent, to be held in November, parallel to the Pan American Games.Ramiro Celaya, 52, a member of Baja California’s shot put and discus team, said he likes to competebut participates in tournaments for another reason.“We want to tell the community, particularly parents, that if you have a child with a disability don’t just keep them home, gaining weight,” he said. “There are so many sports and they can practice one.”The tournament also reminds officials take disabled people into account, others said.“It’s a way for the people to find out how to help a disabled family member or neighbor,” added Fernando Ruiz, 39, from Querétaro state, who competes in the javelin throw.For three days the athletes competed in track and field events, such as the 100, 200, 400, 800, 1,500 and 5,000 meters race. The blind athletes tied themselves to their guides and sped off at the opening bell.Tania Jiménez, 28, from Mexicali, won first and second place in the 100 and 200 meters races, respectively, and placed first in the shot put and discus.She’s the president of State Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. In January, she won fourth in the shot put at the World Championships in New Zealand.She said she lost her sight ten years ago in an accident and began to practice sports as a form of therapy.First she practiced “golbol,” a game similar to bowling in which visually impaired players try to throw the ball in the opponent’s goal. Her team won the national championship three times.Now, she’s focused on track and field.“Many people who are disabled shut themselves in because they are afraid or are embarrassed. I think sports can make you think differently, can give you strength,” Jiménez said. “At least that’s what happened to me.”She had the best showing at the tournament, winning four medals, including two gold ones. She placed first in the 100 meters and the discus, second in the 200 meters and third in the shot put.Other athletes who qualified for the Parapan American Games included Maribel Peña, Mónica Rodríguez and Diana Coraza, all in the 400 meters; Peña also qualified in the 800 meters along with Sandra Trujillo, while Tania Cuellar qualified in the 1,500 meters.“We want to show that our sport is not easy, that it requires a lot of preparation,” said singer Crystal (Díaz Romero). “We’re trying to raise awareness of that.”No stranger to these competitions, she won a bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona. The weekend tournament bears the name of the singer, whose foundation encourages blind people to develop through sports.The next stop for these extraordinary athletes will be in November, when they compete against the best in this continent.Omar.millan@sandiegored.com