Alexia Sotomayor: the princess of the waters that shines in Rosario | PROFILE

It’s the summer of 2007, and a six-month-old baby arrives in the pool for the first time in her mother’s arms for her first swimming lesson.

While other parents only encourage their children to crawl, Patricia Acuña and Lorenzo Sotomayor opted for their little Alexia to forge her safety underwater. After all, swimming is the extension of those nine months where we prepare to go out into the world.

But Alexia Sotomayor not only gained development. She really enjoyed it. She grew happy at each graceful splash. Her parents, an amateur karate fighter and a swimmer who at some point was part of the national team, noticed immediately. It was only a matter of time before swimming became her main passion.

At the age of 5, Alexia entered a team and began to compete in regional, national and inter-club tournaments. At 11 she already achieved unusual marks for her age that classified her to international championships that she could not attend due to her age. And at the age of 12 she was already part of the national team.

His specialty: backstroke swimming, like his mother. Although he has also developed skills in freestyle and butterfly.

Despite still being a fifteen-year-old, Alexia Sotomayor has the scrolls of the most experienced swimmer: It is estimated that he has broken 70 national records in the different categories.

“My main dream is to compete in the Olympic Games. I’ve always dreamed of that since I was very young. I seek to leave the name of Peru at the top”, she has said on more than one occasion. She has clear goals and the lung capacity to achieve them.

Prowess in Rosario

Last Wednesday night Alexia Sotomayor carried the Peruvian flag at the opening ceremony of the third edition of the South American Youth Games Rosario 2022.

Together with the tennis player Gonzalo Bueno, the swimmer led the national delegation of 121 athletes. Many of them older than her in age.

Those who have chosen her as the standard-bearer were not wrong: . An express and forceful warning that our talents have not gone for a walk to Argentine lands.

The first gold for Peru was obtained in the 50-meter backstroke, where she made a time of 29:72 seconds, leaving behind the Colombian Jimena Leguizamón (30:02) and the Argentine Juana Ortiz (30:63).

Not content with this, yesterday she hung the silver medal around her neck in the 100-meter backstroke. This time the Leguizamón coffee machine beat him by thousandths. She clocked 1:03:65 while Alexia clocked 1:03:86.

For Renzo Manyari, president of the Peruvian Olympic Committee, in addition to her obvious talent, the swimmer makes a difference because of the sacrifice she makes in her preparation.

says Manyari.

Indeed, these are the first distinctions for Alexia Sotomayor in recent months after notably overcoming some physical discomfort.

The president of the IPD, Rubén Trujillo, also praises the swimmer: .

But the South American Games have just started for her: today she will compete in the 200-meter backstroke semifinals and tomorrow, Sunday, she will go for a new podium in the 50-meter freestyle. For the most part, Alexia is still the baby who learned to swim at six months.