Lenia Ruvalcaba, Mexican judoka, returns after winning gold at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games

Lenia Ruvalcaba, the judoka, has returned to Mexico after winning a gold medal on September 10 in the up to 70 kg category at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Upon her arrival at Mexico City International Airport, the Paralympic athlete expressed her satisfaction with the gold medal, as it is the result of years of hard work.

"It's not a four-year effort because I have trained for 18 years to win this gold medal. It's practically my whole life," said Ruvalcaba.

In addition, she made a special request for this discipline to be included again in the National Paralympics and for new generations to be identified and supported.

"My mission is to bring judo back to the National Paralympics. We are a sport that wins medals, and it is unfair that the organizers have excluded judo from this event. We found out that the Associations voted and removed judo from the National Paralympics. They should give more opportunities to the new generations because they are cutting off their progress," she explained.

The athlete added: "Things are not easy. The Paralympic sport has grown a lot, and we need to work harder, have more resources, and support new generations to come because the top athletes have limited cycles. There comes a point where you may be winning in Mexico, but you can't deliver results internationally anymore."