Lima 2019: Meet the Peruvians to compete on Parapan Am Games first day

127 Para athletes divided into 11 types of impairments will try to reach the highest position in the podium where the Peruvian delegation hopes to stand out.

Trained by coach Wilson Chian Pon from Chiclayo, the four athletes part of the Peruvian team have been preparing at Jockey Club courts in Chiclayo, the northern city where most of Para table tennis players are located.

In fact, Chian Pon has been discovering new promising athletes for more than 20 years now.

They will compete against the best players of the continent. This is a unique opportunity to watch these great athletes in individual, double and team competitions.

Yañez is from Arequipa and he has been practicing this discipline 12 consecutive years after having to deal with poliomyelitis. In his category, he is competing using a wheelchair, and these will be his third Parapan American Games, after Rio 2007 and Guadalajara 2011. The sportsman participated in Chile 2013 Para South American Games. He is a professional accountant and has parallel activities to sports, as a referee and a table tennis trainer at Arequipa Coliseum.

After participating in Mar del Plata 95 Parapan American Games, the sportsman retired due to health problems. However, he went back to permanent activity a few years ago since he wanted to be in Lima 2019. He is a business administrator and owns a currency exchange business in his hometown. In his category, Traverso is ready to face the current Parapan American champion, Brazilian David Freitas. "The level of Para table tennis has improved a lot in the continent. But with my family's support (coming from home next week) and Peru's support we will try to do our best," he pointed out.

Native from Ferreñafe, Yampufe is very passionate about sports, since he also practices and trains shooting Para sport, wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball. After overcoming a deficiency that affected his legs, he specialized, since 2014, in Para table tennis and he even represented the country in many Open International Competitions. "This time we are more prepared to do things in a better way. We have been training for several months and we will try to show our experience playing as locals," he said.

Aguilar has had the chance to participate in several national and international Para table tennis events since 1982. In fact, she was in the Guadalajara 2011 Games. In Lima 2019, she will compete against the current champion, the Brazilian Cátia Oliveira, another motivation to improve. She works as a Marinera teacher in Lambayeque, and she is an ambassador —in her city— of this dance in wheelchair. "This performance will remain in the history of Peruvian sports. We are really motivated to shine as locals, and we are counting on the support of each and every of our compatriots," she expressed.

Peru will be represented by 139 Para athletes, the highest number in this kind of continental events. It will participate in 16 disciplines, where sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball will have the highest number of athletes, 24 in each (12 women and same number in men's team).

The Parapan American Games will gather 1,890 Para athletes from 33 countries, who will participate in 17 Para sports and 18 disciplines.

The Peruvian delegation will be composed of 139 Para athletes who will compete in 16 of the 17 sports.

Competitions will take place in 14 venues from August 22 to September 1, 2019. This is the first time Peru organizes the largest multi-sport event in the Americas and the most significant sport event in the world after the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

The Parapan American Games will be qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in 13 Para sports.