Argentine, Brazilian, Chilean, Spanish, and Mexican athletes will be the representatives of the region

Despite not having all the media importance or the same coverage, the Paralympic games are an important example of the improvement of the human being. These athletes demonstrate equal, and even greater, work and dedication than the great figures of the Olympians.

Between March 9 and 18, Pyeongchang in South Korea will host the athletes for the 12th edition of the Winter Paralympics. The event will feature disciplines of Biathlon, wheelchair curling, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, ice hockey and snowboarding.

Argentina, which has never achieved a Paralympic medal, has its hopes in Carles Codina in Snowboarding and Enrique Plantey in alpine skiing.

Plantey is a sample of those athletes examples of overcoming. The Argentine survived an accident in which his father and brother died and now hopes to achieve his dream in alpine skiing. Due to that accident he suffered a spinal cord injury and was left in a wheelchair

The Argentine will participate in his second Olympiad, after competing in Sochi, where, according to him, he went to learn. However, in an interview for El Clarín newspaper, Plantey will now seek an Olympic diploma in South Korea.

For its part, Brazil will send Cristian Ribera and Aline Rocha, both to compete in Nordic skiing.

Rocha will be the first female athlete to participate in the winter paralympics. Rocha is quite an athlete, since in 2016 she competed in the Paralympics of Rio in the 1500 meters T54 and coming in ninth. She also plans to return to the Paralympics summer in Tokyo 2020, so she left her university career, just to compete.

Spain will have the participation of 4 sportsman: Astrid Fina and Víctor González Fernández in Snowboarding, and Miguel Galindo Garcés and Jon Santacana in Alpine Skiing.

Miguel Galindo will be the guide of Jon Santacana, who has a visual impairment classified B2. Santacana and Galindo have already won 3 golds, 3 silvers and 2 bronzes in the last Olympics, since they have been participating since Turin 2006.

Chile will also send 4 athletes, all to compete in alpine skiing: Santiago Vela heads the list, who already participated in some winter Paralympics, Lego Nicolás Bisquert, Diego Seguel, and Julio Soto.

Mexico, despite only having one representative, has an important record with which he hopes to take at least one diploma. Arly Velásquez, who already participated in Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014, is preparing to compete in alpine skiing.

Arly suffered an accident that fractured 2 vertebrae at age 13. However, despite all odds, he started playing sports since he was 15 and was in the monosquit, where he found his talent. In the past Paralympics, Velásquez came in 11th place and now in Pyeongchang he has an Olympic medal between his eyebrows.

Each of these athletes will represent Ibero-America, hoping to achieve great performances in a fair that have usually been elusive for the region.

Latin American Post | Santiago Gómez Hernández

Translated from "Paralímpicos de Invierno: representantes iberoamericanos"