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Puerto Rican tennis player María Vanessa Ayala Torres has achieved remarkable results in Special Olympics events, earning her the honor of being one of the national flag bearers at the IV Special Olympics Latin American Games Asunción 2024, to be held in Paraguay’s capital from October 4 to 12.

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Lee este artículo en español.

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The 23-year-old, who has autism, is an exceptional athlete. She won gold in singles and silver in doubles at the 2017 Latin American Games in Panama. As if that weren’t enough, at the 2019 World Games in Abu Dhabi, she earned three medals: gold in singles and unified doubles with her sister, Adamaris Milagros Ayala Torres, and bronze in traditional doubles with Nicole Amill.

But her success didn’t stop there. At the 2023 World Championship in Berlin, she successfully defended her titles in individual and unified doubles, and also won bronze in traditional doubles.

“I am ready for this next event and feeling very positive”, the multiple medalist said in an interview with El Nuevo Día after the national delegation’s flag-bearing ceremony.

María Vanessa expressed her hopes of bringing home more medals and shared that she began playing table tennis in 2013. She admitted that at first, she didn’t fully understand the game but said, “I got the hang of it, and thanks to that, I kept studying the sport until now”.

Glenda Torres, María Vanessa’s mother, highlighted how much her daughter has matured over the 10 years she has participated in the Special Olympics Puerto Rico program.

“She has evolved a lot from her first trip to Panama in 2017 to today. When she came back from Panama, she came back a different person,” Torres said.

“She graduated from her fourth year with honors, studied for her associate degree, and graduated in the summer. Before she graduated, she had already started working. This has been a source of great pride, and she knows we are always here for her,” she added.

María Vanessa shared that she studied to become a preschool teacher’s assistant at Ana G. Méndez University and is currently working as a clerk in the municipality of Aguas Buenas for the Child Care program.

“She is working as a clerk, but she helps out when a teacher is absent,” Torres explained.

The tennis player traveled to Paraguay with Adamaris, who is one of the unified athletes. This detail brings peace of mind to their mother, who emphasized that the girls support each other.

“I am very happy. This is not the first time they have traveled together. They went for the first time to Abu Dhabi in 2019, and in 2023, they traveled with my other son, who is also unified. I was puffing up my chest,” Torres declared.

“It is a great pride that they can go as sisters because it is a tremendous support for both Adamaris and María Vanessa,” the mother reiterated.

María Vanessa learned that she would be the female flag bearer for the delegation just minutes before it was announced during the flag ceremony. The athlete received the flag from Governor Pedro Pierluisi, marking a moment of great happiness for her.

“I am surprised. I did not expect this moment of being flag bearer for the first time. It made me explode with emotion,” she expressed.

“I’ve waited for this moment forever, even though it took me by surprise. It’s going to be very exciting. I’m going to be holding the flag high, screaming,” she added.

The athlete will be accompanied by basketball player Christian Fernández, a gold medalist in the 2019 and 2023 World Games. He also has experience in the Puerto Rican Basketball League and has won multiple gold and silver awards in several past editions of the Special Olympics Puerto Rico National Games.

The IV Latin American Games will be inaugurated on Friday with an event at the General Pablo Rojas Stadium, popularly known as La Nueva Olla. The competition will conclude on Saturday, October 12, with live coverage on the Panam Sports Channel.

For her part, Adamaris also confessed to being surprised with her sister’s choice, “but at the same time proud”.

“Despite everything that has happened, my sister has continued to fight to move forward. The hard work in school, the online jobs... She faced many challenges, but despite that, she didn’t give up. She has cried and been frustrated, but she kept going and has accomplished so much”, Adamaris said.

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This content was translated from Spanish to English using artificial intelligence and was reviewed by an editor before being published.