The Governor of Valle made a phone call to give him the good news.
News Valley.
The governor of Valle del Cauca, Dilian Francisca Toro, has announced a significant commitment to the development of sport in the region: the construction of a professional BMX track in honor of Queen Saray Villegas, the outstanding athlete from Valle del Cauca who achieved fourth place in the BMX Freestyle final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Queen Saray Villegas filled Colombia with pride by being just eight-tenths away from achieving the country’s first Olympic medal in BMX Freestyle, a discipline that debuted in Tokyo 2020.
Despite not reaching the podium, Villegas became the first Colombian to compete in an Olympic final in this sport, marking a milestone in the country’s sporting history.
«Queen Saray, to date, does not have a decent track to train on»
Villegas’ coach, Alejandro Caro, has said that the lack of specialized tracks in Colombia has been a significant obstacle to the athletes’ preparation.
“We had a long season in England in a special place that we didn’t have in Colombia. The difference between my athlete and the others is that they have lived in that environment of specialized ramps. We had months of preparation, they have years of preparation, and we were close to getting a bronze medal,” Caro explained to the media.
“Queen Saray only trained for two months. At 4 years old, she would have been a different person”
Alejandro Caro, Queen Saray’s coach, fourth in BMX FreeStyle, was thrilled by his pupil’s result in achieving an Olympic diploma. #ColombiaInParis2024 🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/4vbUVJlCDU
— RCN Sports (@DeportesRCN) July 31, 2024
In response to these statements, Governor Dilian Francisca Toro contacted Queen Saray Villegas to express her support and announce the construction of a professional BMX track in honor of the young athlete from Buga.
“We are going to make a professional BMX track. Alejandro told me that they have everything, you can count on that, my daughter. In your honor, we are going to name it Queen Saray,” said the president during a phone call with Villegas.
The initiative has been received with enthusiasm by the sports community and it is hoped that this new infrastructure will strengthen the development of BMX Freestyle in the region.
“It is the foundation of what we are building in Colombia in BMX Freestyle, of the great talent that the country has, not only Queen Saray, there are many other athletes who have the desire, the power, the will and the possibility to be here,” Caro added.
The governor of Valle @DilianFrancisca contacted Queen Saray, the young athlete from Buga, who was 4th in the Olympics in @Paris2024 in BMX Freestyle and who today is a pride of Vallecaucano.
The president COMMITTED 👏🏽👏🏽 to build a professional track, if… pic.twitter.com/ZzfUfp0rPB
— Camilo Chará Guevara (@soycamilochara) July 31, 2024
Now, we just have to wait for the promise to become a reality, and for the new professional BMX track in honour of Queen Saray Villegas to encourage more young talents to achieve their dreams in the sport.
What a pride for Valle del Cauca to see you in the final, Queen Saray!
You already made history by being the first Colombian representative in BMX Freestyle at the Olympic Games and today you fill us with happiness by being among the best in #Paris2024. Tomorrow in the final all the… pic.twitter.com/hhiWhhOVog
— Dilian Francisca T. (@DilianFrancisca) July 30, 2024
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