Youth athletes shine on the international stage

Tonatiú López

Tonatiú López, a 19-year-old athlete from Sonora, has become the center of attention in Mexican sports media after setting the best time in the 800-meter race according to the International Association of Athletics Federations. He finished the race with a time of 1:45:51. He achieved this milestone on March 25th at the National University Games in Culiacán, Sinaloa, which earned him a direct spot in the World Athletics Championship in London to be held in August. López had previously participated in the 2016 World Athletics Championship for U20, finishing fourth.

Natalia Botello

At only 13 years old, Natalia has made history in Mexican fencing by winning the bronze medal at the Youth World Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. She reached the medal stage undefeated and only lost to the Russian fencer Alina Klyuchnikova, who took second place. This bronze medal secured her spot in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Viviana del Ángel

The diver from Veracruz won the bronze medal in the third stage of the International Swimming Federation's Diving World Series in Kazan, Russia. Del Ángel scored a total of 349.55 points in the individual women's ten-meter platform category. This performance placed her fourth in the world rankings with 27 points, behind the Chinese divers Yajie Si and Quian Ren, and the Canadian Meaghan Benefeito.

Gerardo Ulloa and Mónica Vega

Youth mountain biking also has promising young talents. Mónica Vega won the bronze medal in the U23 category at the Pan American Championships in Mexico City. She finished behind the Argentine Luciana Roland and the Colombian Leidy Mera. Meanwhile, Gerardo Ulloa won gold in the U23 cross-country race, beating the Brazilian José Gabriel Márquez and the Colombian Santiago Mesa.

Mexican Hockey

An uncommon sport in Mexico, hockey has brought recent successes to the country. The U18 men's national team won the championship in their category, defeating South Africa 7-2 at the Icedome in Mexico City. This victory was even more valuable as the team, led by Diego de la Garma, was promoted to Division A. Additionally, the women's national team triumphed in the IIHF Division II World Championship, defeating Romania 6-0 in the final game and securing the top spot in the competition. They were also promoted to Division II Group A and moved up in the IIHF rankings.