Who inspires us?
HAND - BIKE
Zuko Carrasco
With unwavering determination, our athlete has shown that limits only exist in the mind. With his courageous and persevering spirit, he has managed to reach great heights in the world of sport and mountaineering, becoming the first athlete with a disability to climb Cayambe and Cotopaxi, and to paraglide down in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
He has climbed Kilimanjaro in Africa on his HandBike and has participated in several national competitions, proving time and time again that nothing is impossible if you have the courage and determination to pursue your dreams.
Now, together with his companions, he is preparing to climb El Capitan in the United States, once again challenging the limits of what is considered possible and motivating others to follow his example of perseverance and self-improvement.
Tennis
Tania Andrade
Imagine competing in one of the biggest tennis events in the world, a Grand Slam.
This is the reality for our athlete, who has managed to qualify for the Australian Jr. Open 2023, consolidating herself as one of the best junior tennis players in the world. But this is not surprising considering her previous achievements, she won a bronze medal in doubles at the Bolivarian Games, including being champion of the Master Coast 2021, obtaining first place in the national tournament of the 16-year-old category in 2021, and a bronze medal in women's doubles at the III South American Games in Rosario. Her talent and perseverance also led her to be the first in the ITF National Ranking for 16-year-olds in 2020, and to participate in the Banana Bowl Tournament in Brazil.
Boxing
Julio Castillo
This talented boxer has achieved a number of impressive accomplishments in his career.
He won a silver medal at the Strandja International Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2023 and is preparing intensively for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, after having been South American champion in the 92 kg category in 2022 and participating in the World Championship in Serbia in 2021, where he was runner-up.
He was the flag bearer of the national delegation for the Tokyo 2020+1 Olympic Games and obtained an Olympic Diploma in Rio 2016.
He has also stood out as a boxer in the 91 kg category, winning the Silver Medal at the World Championships in Russia and the Pan American Games in Lima in 2019.
SQUASH
Rafa Albuja
2021 Pan American Games Champion
11th place out of 160 players at the 2018 US Junior Open.
South American team champion for 3 consecutive years 2018 – 2020.
2019 National Squash Champion.
Long Jump
Yuliana Angulo
Bronze medal at the 2022 Asunción South American Championship.
Gold Medal at the 2022 National Championship with a record of 6.59m in the long jump. Currently #1 in the 2022 South American Ranking with 6.67m.
He participated in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in relays, as well as in the 2021 World Relay Championships in Poland.
She also competed in several national and international athletics championships in Ecuador, Germany and Spain in 2021.
Rock Climbing
Felipe Proaño
A Men's Health Ultimate Guy 2022 finalist, he has climbed a variety of mountains and rock faces, including the Trango Towers in Pakistan, the Big Walls of Baffin Island in Canada, the Cordillera Blanca in Peru, and El Capitan in Sierra Nevada in 3 days. He has also climbed Big Walls in Alaska.
Riding
Ivan Christiansen
The story of this rider and his horses is a true feat of success and dedication. From a young age, his love for horses led him to dedicate himself completely to the equestrian world, training day and night to achieve his goals.
Throughout his career, he has achieved countless triumphs and recognitions, but this year has been especially significant. With his horse Kandice, he took first place in CSI 1 1.40, an important international tournament that brings together the best riders in the world.
But that was not all, he also took first place at the 1.05m Pan American Games with his horse Cantara Z, a victory that led him to qualify for the 2023 Pan American Games. At the 2023 Longines Grand Prix, he took third place with Kandice and first place with Cantara Z, demonstrating his skill and dexterity on the track.
But his achievements are not limited to this year, he has also been THREE-TIME National Champion in Ecuador during the years 2018, 2019 and 2020, in addition to obtaining second place in the CSI 3* Grand Prix in Kentucky - USA with his horse Olivia Z, and first place in CS1*.
But perhaps one of their greatest achievements was getting second place in the 2018 ODESUR Games in Cochabamba - Bolivia with the Ecuadorian team, demonstrating that teamwork and perseverance are essential to achieve success.
His dedication and passion for horses have led him to achieve everything he has set out to do, and he will undoubtedly continue to achieve success in the future. His story is an inspiration to all those who dream of achieving great goals through hard work and perseverance.
Climbing
Fatima Serrano Duenas
First Ecuadorian to participate in the race
of the “Eiger Ultra Trail” she came in 13th place out of 170 competitors.
The athlete is recognized nationally and internationally for overcoming great challenges in Mountain and Trail Running, finishing in first place for two consecutive years.
Trail & Ultra Trail
Martin Saenz
This athlete has achieved great achievements in trail running, mountain biking and trail racing. He has been invited to the Boston Marathon and has participated in several ultra-distance races, including a 90km competition in Patagonia and the World Trail Championships, where he placed 17th overall and 5th in his category. In addition, he has won several races in his home country, Ecuador, such as the Hieleros 70km and the Huaira Sinchi on multiple occasions. He has also had success in mountain biking, with victories in the Tour Montaña Zuleta and Sierraloma, and several podium finishes in other races.
Trail Running & Ultra Trail
Joaquin Lopez
Joaquín López is an outstanding ultra-distance Trail Running runner, winning the silver medal at Petztrail Plus 2023 and his greatest achievement has been to put Ecuador at the top with his second place in the most important world championship of Trail Running UTMB 2022, as well as sixth place in the Madeira Island Ultra-Trail in 2022. In addition, he was the best Latin American in 2019. In 2021, he was crowned champion of Huairasinchi and is part of Team Terra, winners of several editions.
Tennis player
Angel Veliz
His goal is to reach his objectives by being very, very constant and brave. In this way, he will achieve recognition in order to reach many people with his message of values and make it known that work and management of the mind is the most important thing in SPORT. He wants to demonstrate by example that if we merge meditation with tennis, he will demonstrate that tennis is for fun.