Treble in Paris

When he won his first medal at the Paris Paralympic Games, Ángel Camacho posted a photo on his social media.

In it, he is seen in poverty, riding in a recycled cart outside his house and with a defiant look that he maintains to this day.

There are people who are born having everything, but there are others who strive to get there.wrote the athlete next to the image that quickly went viral.

Yesterday, Angel continued his success story in the French capital. He won his third medal and thus crowned the story of resilience of that little boy born with Hanhart Syndrome, a congenital disease that causes malformations in the arms and legs.

Camacho, a little boy who was viewed with suspicion by everyone, also became the biggest winner for the Mexican delegation.

It took a lot of work, but in the end the goal was achieved. I am happy because it is the result of all the effort that has been made. There are many hours and discipline dedicated to pursuing a dream.the national team member told Conade, who made it onto the podium in the 50-meter backstroke S4.

When Angel was born 19 years ago, his mother, Francisca, thought that her son would be bedridden forever. Her world collapsed and countless adverse scenarios ran through her mind.

I was very afraid about his future. When I was a child I only thought that before I died I wished I could see him succeed, be an independent man.the mother recalled in an interview.

To everyone’s surprise, the Leonese boy learned not only to take care of himself; despite his shortcomings, he began to move around his house, eat alone, brush his teeth from a very young age, and years later he became an expert at throwing a top and playing soccer.

When he won his first medal in Paris, the athlete posted a photo on his social media in which he can be seen in poverty, riding a recycled cart outside his house and with a defiant look that he still maintains today. However, his story was transformed into one of personal and sporting success by becoming a triple Paralympic medalist and the most successful winner for the tricolor delegation. Photo @angelcamachomx and @COPAME

“I did not suffer from bullying “I have a disability. Thanks to sport I have made many friends who have always respected me. I went to a conventional school, I learned to walk with my prostheses. I dreamed of being a doctor and now I am a three-time medallist.”

At the age of six, he met Nick Vujicic, a speaker and businessman who suffers from Tetramelia Syndrome. Sharing a few minutes with him changed the mindset of the intrepid little boy, who on December 28, 2017, right on the date of his birthday, swam for the first time in the Deportiva II in León, Guanajuato.

I didn’t even know how to swim, but I learned very quickly. I taught myself to be competitive, it was easy for me to move around in the water, it wasn’t hard work and I started winning medals.shared Angel, who also won two bronzes in the 100-meter freestyle S4 and 150-meter individual medley SM4 events.

Three years after starting swimming, Camacho made his debut at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, being the youngest member of the Mexican team. He returned home with a bronze medal and the promise of improving his performance for the Paris Games.

You need to be very stubborn to win a medal, train many times a day, overcome all the adversities that life puts in your way, work much harder than others. Without that, you have no chance.

Camacho clocked 42.70 seconds to take silver in Paris. Gold went to Neutral Paralympic Athletes Roman Zhdanov (42.30), and bronze went to Czech Arnost Petracek (43.92).

The swimmer loves to draw, which is why he studies digital graphic expression at Conalep.

Close to the podium

In other results, Diego López finished fourth in the 200-meter freestyle S3, the experienced Nely Miranda finished sixth in the 50-meter backstroke S4, while Jesús Gutiérrez was tenth in the 100-meter backstroke S6. Naomi Ortiz, the youngest member of the national delegation at 16 years old, finished 14th in the 50-meter butterfly S7.

In Paralympic athletics, Pauleth Mejía took sixth place in the F40 shot put.

Mexico is ranked 30th in the medal table with 16 medals; three gold, six silver and seven bronze. In Tokyo 2020, the country collected 22 medals.