The Olympics are a time to celebrate the accomplishments of athletes from around the world. We gather to watch in awe as they perform fantastic feats and break world records. While many viewers only have eyes for their home country’s athletes, here at Latinas in Business we are rooting for all our Latina athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympic Games.
We are so inspired by their accomplishments thus far. They are proof that Latinas are strong, determined, and able to achieve anything.
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn had a big week, winning Gold on Monday in the women’s 100m Hurdles final. The 24-year-old athlete finished in 12.37 seconds, winning by .15 seconds. Keni Harrison from the USA followed in second at 12.52 seconds. Megan Kapper of Jamaica came in third and took home a bronze medal.
Jasmine’s win marks Puerto Rico’s second ever gold medal and she is the first Puerto Rican of Afro-Latina descent in history to win gold while representing Puerto Rico.
Her win is an inspiration to all young Puerto Rican girls, especially young Latina athletes aspiring to follow in Jasmine’s footsteps.
After being disqualified from the 2016 Olympics due to crashing into a hurdle, Jasmine’s journey to the Tokyo Olympic Games has been her comeback.
Speaking to The New York Post she said, “This year I trained really hard. I don’t have a training partner, I train by myself, so I gave it all I had and this is what I wanted for this year. I wanted to be a gold medalist and I got it.”
Neisi Dajomes
In another historic Olympic first, Neisi Dajomes of Ecuador became the first woman representing Ecuador to win a gold medal. The weightlifting champion claimed gold in the women’s 76 kg weightlifting at the Tokyo Olympic Games on Sunday.
Neisi achieved her first place win after lifting 263 kg (580 pounds, approximately). She dedicated her win to her mother and brother who both unfortunately passed away. Both were crucial to Neisi’s career as an athlete and it was in fact thanks to her brother, Javier Palacios, that she began her weightlifting career.
At 11 years old, Neisi would watch her brother train and soon became interested in trying the sport herself. She started with a broomstick to learn the technique, then quickly progressed to lifting real weights. It was clear from the start that she had a spark and the potential to go far. Now she has made history with her gold win for Ecuador at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Yulimar Rojas
Venezuela made history on Sunday as well, when 25-year-old triple jumper, Yulimar Rojas won gold. Yulimar’s win marks Venezuela’s first woman Olympic gold medalist. However, this was not the her only historic feat.
At 15.67 meters, her stunning jump broke the world record set in 1995 by Ukrainian athlete Inessa Kravets. The record-breaking jump is an inspiration to Latina athletes everywhere.
“I was looking for it, I knew we had that distance in my legs to get it today…the last jump was one to give everything, and it was like that,” she said following her win. “I focused on giving my best… It makes me happy. I have to enjoy it now, and live the experience.”
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Sarah Robles
Representing the USA, Sarah Robles became the first woman to win two Olympic weightlifting medals. The Latina athlete secured an Olympic bronze medal for her lifted total of 282kg. She previously earned a bronze medal five years ago at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
“It’s a really big deal,” she said in a post-match conference. “I’ve struggled a lot throughout my career, it almost feels like I’ve been going uphill both ways with the wind against me. Going from the bottom in the sport, to the top in the sport, to making history in this sport means a lot to me.”
When combined with Kate Nye’s silver medal earned Sunday in the women’s 76kg, this is also the first time USA Weightlifting has earned two medals at an Olympic Games in 21 years.
On Instagram, Sarah expressed her thoughts regarding the treatment of women in sports and the struggles many athletes still face based on their gender.
“Women’s sports are vastly under supported and represented. Often times when they are represented, it’s poorly and typically image, not performance, focused….I like saying it’s like running a mile race and you gave the men a 3/4 mile head start. You can’t really say that women aren’t good or worthy of the time /resources. We’re constantly playing catch up!”
We are so proud of all the Latina athletes participating at the Tokyo Olympic Games and all they have achieved so far. Latinas are unstoppable!
