Panam Sports PAN-AMERICAN PRIDE: ISABEL SWAN QUALIFIES FOR THE 2024 PARIS OLYMPICS

PAN-AMERICAN PRIDE: ISABEL SWAN QUALIFIES FOR THE 2024 PARIS OLYMPICS

The president of the Panama Sports Athletes Commission will compete in her third Olympic event. A remarkable achievement for this athlete who had already retired from tough competition and returned in glory and majesty to represent his country and the entire continent.

Isabel Swan was off her boat forever. After a successful career, she decided to end her years of dedication to the sport. However, the passion and love for sailing was stronger.

After much analysis, he decided to return to the water, complete the strenuous training and prepare to qualify for the Olympics.

She trained hard, put many things aside in her personal life and thanks to her commitment and sacrifice, she achieved the ticket years for Paris 2024. Quite an achievement for our President of the Panama Sports Athletes Commission.

“Well, these will be my third-party games. I am very happy to represent Brazil and the entire continent. I stopped sailing for a while, returned and today I am experiencing a very important moment as I travel to Paris 2024 and represent Brazil and America as President of the Panam Sports Athletes Commission. So I'm very, very excited about this opportunity. Now I will continue training in Europe, take part in the championship and do everything to achieve my third Olympic Games in the best possible way,” Isabel Swan told Panam Sports from Europe.

She is Brazil's sailing great, four-time national champion of her country, three-time South American champion and bronze medalist at the 2011 Universiade in the 470 team class. The highlight of her career was the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where she won a bronze medal in the 470-meter run. Isabel was also a finalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics in her hometown of Rio. Janeiro.

Isabel will compete in the 470 class alongside her beloved partner and friend Henrique Haddad. Both are training hard in Europe for the Olympic event. As their years progressed, they received tickets to Paris after competing in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

“I am very happy to be back in the water and practicing the sport that is close to my heart. Sailing is a very special sport. The 470 class is a very old class. It was quite difficult for Brazil to achieve this qualification for the Olympics. We won the World Championships and won the Gold Fleet, and we were the only South American country to achieve the Gold Fleet, which is the strongest part of sailing, and we managed to maintain results at a high level and qualify for Paris . The conditions in Palma were very tough but it is a very good place to sail and we managed it. “I am very happy to say that I am in the 470 class, a mixed class, competing alongside my partner Henrique Haddad,” added the Beijing 2008 Olympic bronze medalist.

Regarding her goals, the President of the Panam Sports Athletes Commission emphasizes that “the dream of every athlete is to win the gold medal.” It is also my dream and of course there are many challenges, so we have to improve many things to achieve ours to achieve goals. But we have to think big, we have to dream. We stay focused, train hard and compete hard to get to Paris 2024 very well.”

He is motivated not only to return to Olympic competition after her retirement, but also because Paris will be a historic game. For the first time, the same number of athletes will take part in the competitions. Something that clearly motivates her and that she has always defended during her involvement in the Athletes' Commission.

“It will be a very special Olympics because we will have gender equality and that motivates me a lot. In Paris 2024 we will have an equal number of male and female athletes. This is the first time in history that there is gender equality at the Olympic Games, which makes me even more motivated to be part of this celebration of Olympic sport,” Isabel concluded.