It is never too late to fulfill your dreams and Mari Leivis Sánchez, at 32 years old, did it this Friday. After years of battles, 16 years after leaving her native Turbo for Medellín, today she has a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, in the 71 kilogram category.
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“The truth is that it was not easy, we had to look for that result that we were waiting for so much, it was done very well, that is what we worked for. Thank God we got the silver medal,” said an emotional Mari Leivis in the mixed zone, after the awards ceremony.
Mari Leivis’ feelings ranged from a nervous smile to a few sobs. “The truth is, I think I fought day after day, often with my head down. Now I don’t even have the words to explain how excited I am to have won this medal. It was a very beautiful thing, the support of my family, of all of Colombia, of my coach, making this effort to leave everything, to leave my son to be here,” she added.
It was precisely to his son, Ismael Elías, that he first dedicated the medal. “Because I love him, and for him, this medal,” he said.
Mari Leivis was on the verge of missing the Olympics due to an injury she suffered in Cali during a training camp in preparation for her participation in Paris. “I had that muscle tear on two occasions, but thanks to the technical team and the doctors who were supporting me with the recoveries,” he told.
She also talked about the tights she wore to compete, which featured the figure of Straw Hat Luffy, a comic book character. “I’m a fan of him, he wants to be the king of all pirates, that’s why I also got really attached to that,” she said.
Sánchez always had faith in winning a medal. So much so that he didn’t realize, at first, that he had lifted 145 kilos in the clean and jerk, his personal best. “I asked the teacher how much I lifted. When he told me 145, I said ‘oh, well’. Well, that’s what we’re here for. Few had me, but God gave me the victory, gave me that triumph, that podium. The mental part is fundamental, I worked hard to have the peace of mind to go out on the platform with all the rules,” he concluded.
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