RAÚL ANGUIANO WINS FIRST PARAPAN AMERICAN MEDAL FOR GUATEMAL

The Para badminton final held at the Sports Center 2 of the VIDENA was both epic and exciting! Raúl Anguiano achieved a milestone in the history of the Guatemalan Para sport, by claiming their first medal in the Parapan American Games.

On Friday Anguiano has already given a reason to celebrate to the Guatemalan people as he qualified to the finals and took a medal in the individual SL4 category. In the final, he dismissed 2-0 Oliveira, with partials of 21- 16 and 21-12, and could not hide his excitement for this victory and dedicated it to his family.

“It’s amazing. It’s a blessing. Winning a medal is both a huge honor and responsibility because when you are an athlete, you become a public figure,” said the current Parapan American champion.

They already knew each other, and the statistics were on the Guatemalan’s favor, which eventually reflected in the match result. “It’s the fifth time we face each other, and he’s improved a lot. He’s very talented, but I was more relaxed. I’m sure he’ll be a great champion too,” he stressed while his delegation friends cheered on him, just like they did during the match.

“Playing in an environment like this was very important for me. I had never had so much support. It’s exciting to listen to your friends from other sports, technical teams and managers encouraging you. This victory is not only mine; it’s also theirs because they were an essential part of the match,” he added.

Anguiano started playing when he was 10. He used to play conventional badminton until he discovered Para badminton and was considered the world’s number 1 at some point. At age 44, he arrived at Lima 2019 as flag bearer of his delegation and praised the growth of Para badminton in Peru. Meanwhile, Team Peru hopes to reach the top of the podium in Para badminton with Pedro Pablo de Vinatea. 

“I was the first player of this sport in our region. That’s how I met my friend Pedro Pablo de Vinatea. I’m happy to see Para badminton has grown a lot in Peru, and I’d like it to grow more in my country too, just like it’s happening here,” he concluded.