The tennis player from Antioquia, number two in the U-13 world ranking, lives with his brother in
Spain and prepares for the Final Contenders, in France.
Every weekend, without fail, Yolanda Jenith García visits the sports venues and shopping centers of Rionegro to sell tamales, arepas de mote, sweets, raffles, or whatever. She is looking for resources so that her children, tennis players Emanuel and Federico Otálvaro García, can continue training and competing in Spain.
“I can’t stop, we have to get $6,200,000 a month so that Federico and Emanuel can train and play,” says Yolanda, who has knocked on many doors of state and private companies with little positive response.
That hurts her, but she knows that she can’t stay in regret. She, along with her husband Ricardo Antonio Otálvaro, have to “bust” the money so that her two children can continue fulfilling their dreams.
“It’s what they chose and how can you not support them if they have already shown that they have talent and the discipline to achieve what they set out to do”, highlights the mother.
Emanuel And Federico Have Excelled in Table Tennis
And he is right, since both Emanuel and Federico have excelled in table tennis, being national, South American, Pan American and Latin American champions in the sub-8, 11, 13, 15 and 17 categories.
They are currently 12 and 17 years old, respectively, and have been living in Spain for a year, first in San Sebastián and from this Saturday in Granada, under the guidance of coach Camilo Giraldo, with whom they have achieved recognition in all the events they have participated in. .
Emanuel, the youngest, (he is 12 years old), looks like a giant, not only because of the sporting achievements he has achieved but also because far from home he has had to learn to fend for himself, being constant in training during arduous days.
That persistence and discipline allowed him to reach second place in the world table tennis ranking in the 13-year-old category and first in the American ranking. But the athlete wants more and that is why his goal is the Olympic Games.
This performance allowed him to enter the select group of athletes supported by Indeportes Antioquia (provides $300,000 monthly for food) and Avinal, a company that has given him a support subsidy for 4 years.
That is the only help that Emanuel has at the moment, for this reason his parents have to do “twists” to get the money they need to support themselves in Europe, without counting the resources for travel.
Last year Emanuel, in addition to participating in tournaments in Spain, was in Morocco, Hungary, the Dominican Republic, Portugal, Germany, among others.
He is currently advancing in his last week of preparation, since next Sunday, January 15, he will represent Colombia in the Contenders World Final in France.
The last contest that Emanuel played in 2022 was the WTT Youth Contender Szombathely, where he won five matches against rivals from Hungary, Canada, Vietnam, France and Chinese Taipei; the only loss was against Jan Skalda of the Czech Republic.
Emanuel will continue to return the effort to his parents with titles, while he continues his sports path focused on the Olympic Games.
Staying in Spain is a priority, so his entire family contributes a grain of sand so that he can achieve his dreams.
This article is published on elcolombiano.com