Alexia Sotomayor and the story that “confirmed her idea” of completing several Olympic cycles

In school time, Alexia Sotomayor Acuña never stops learning. She is in the tenth grade but the classroom that we know her the most is the long swimming pool where she gets the best grades from her. The national swimmer is only 15 years old and her career has been one of continuous progression. In the III South American Youth Gameswhich ends today in Rosario, was the highest national medalist with one gold, two silver and one bronze, but it does not stop there: it already has new goals.

Last Tuesday night he returned from the Argentine city and on Wednesday he was already in the endless pool of Campo de Marte in the national selection to define the delegation of the Junior World Cup that will be held in August in our capital. The list of classifieds will be announced during the week, but the presence of Alexia, the best Peruvian swimmer today, with the backstroke as her strongest style, is taken for granted.

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“I met her towards the end of my career and it is commendable that after a pandemic she continues to achieve records. After two years locked up, she saw a way to move forward and improve her marks ”, tells us Andrea Cedrón, a Peruvian swimmer who competed in London 2012 and Rio 2016, no less. Today’s coach at her academy in Trujillo bets on Alexia. “I’m sure he has a lot of potential to offer us and more medals to win”he tells us.

And that is what Alexia points to. She was 13 years old when we met her in Lima 2019 and today she already exceeds 100 broken youth records. She has twenty current and six older. “I am super happy with the results. The medals in Rosario and in the selective for the World Cup I made records”he tells us, but he knows that this does not stop there. “I know that a lot of things come later, stronger like the World Cup. So we are going to continue in search of the best results”he adds.

And it is that at 15 years old -she turns 16 in July- she is not only full of energy to compete, she also has that thirst to learn everything. “She is super curious,” Mrs. Patricia Acuña, her mother, tells us. She talks, questions and projects herself. She already knows what she wants for the future, where her personal interests coexist with sports ones. He seeks to reach the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 and after that study and compete abroad at the university level while still wearing the white and red and who knows how to repeat his Olympic presence in Los Angeles, where he will arrive with 22, and would be 26 for Brisbane 2032 International business is his first option, but he does not rule out looking for something related to sports.

projections

She still has a long way to go, about 10 years of full career, but she aims for more. It is that from Rosario’s trip she not only returned with medals, but also convinced that swimming could be the path that accompanies her for a long time, although that is not yet the subject of talks at home.

It is known that age is an important factor in this sport, but Alexia sees beyond that. “He spoke with Jose Meolans and he told him that his best sporting years were between 20-30 years old”tells us his mother. “She ratified what she wants, not only to achieve an Olympics, but also to represent Peru for many years”. The Argentine was world champion 25m. at the age of 24 and broke the national record of his country in 50m. at 30. Alexia is subject to those stories. Or to see the Chilean Kristel Köbrich, who at 36 is still competing.

But Alexia’s current situation is in the World Cup. In the next few days the list of classifieds should come out. Names like Diego Balvi, bronze winner in the 100 butterfly and medley relay in Rosario, Marcelo Rojas, Augusto Sosa, Alejandra Gonzales – who went to the South Americans – are also fighting for a spot. Yasmin Silva comes from achieving the junior A record in the 200 butterfly, while Riu Unen, Vasco Aparria and Joaquín Barraza also aim to be world champions.