The Costa Rican delegation concluded its participation with Gerald Drummond. With six athletes in five disciplines, the Ticos sought the medal at the largest sporting event in the world, after 24 years of not reaching the Olympic podium.
Alexander Zamora, president of the National Olympic Committee (CON), spoke with this medium about the urgent need for a High Performance Center (CAR) for national sports. This center will allow athletes to develop their physical performance and have high-quality preparation, covering every need.
The leader highlighted that this is part of the reasons for the small number of Ticos who managed to qualify for the Olympic Games and that it brings to the table the issue of the need to invest in sports.
In this 2024 edition, the national Olympic dream was in the hands of the surfer Brisa Hennessy, Sebastián Sancho in judo, the cyclist Milagro Mena, the athlete Gerald Drummond and the swimmers Alondra Ortiz and Alberto Vega. Compared to Tokyo 2020, where 10 athletes participated in the competitions, this year only six managed to qualify directly.
How did the Ticos athletes fare in Paris 2024?
On Saturday, July 27 at 2 a.m., judoka Sebastián Sancho opened Costa Rica’s participation in the 2024 Olympic Games. In his Olympic debut, he lost 1-0 to Brazilian Michael Augusto.
Two hours later, Alberto Vega, 19 years old, swam in his Olympic debut, achieving third place in his heat and improving his registration record. The Costa Rican stopped the clock with a time of 4:03.14, finishing in position #35 in the sporting event.
Brisa Hennessy, in her second Olympic Games, demonstrated her dominance and precision in the waves of Tahiti, known to be among the most dangerous in the world. The Costa Rica improved its fifth place from Tokyo 2020, obtaining fourth place in the event and giving Costa Rica an Olympic diploma. With this performance, he reaffirms his position in the top 3 of the WSL.
Gerald Drummond, in his second consecutive Olympic event, rose 6 places in the 400 meter hurdles category, finishing in #21 place in the world, improving his position compared to Tokyo, where he was #27.
Alondra Ortiz, 200 meter butterfly swimmer, reached #18 in the world in her first Olympic Games. The previous year, Ortiz stood out at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, and in April of this year, he established a new national record in the 200 butterfly.
On the other hand, the cyclist Milagro Mena, in her second Olympic event (the first was in Rio 2016), managed to travel 123.5 kilometers, but was disqualified due to the time difference with the peloton. In both Olympic participations, Mena was disqualified.
Making the Ticos dream
Although the desired medal was not achieved, the national delegation managed to make the Ticos dream and enjoy the largest sports festival in the world with each of its presentations.
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