Amanda Cerna

Started: She took up the sport in 2012 while she was at school. (Athlete, 22 Oct 2015) Reason: A sports teacher encouraged her to attend a Para sport trial in Santiago, Chile. "Watching other people with an impairment training motivated me to do the same." (mujerimpacta.cl, 02 Nov 2016) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (santiago2023.org, 01 Nov 2023) Awards: She was named Athlete of the Year for 2019 and 2023 in Castro, Chile. (castromunicipio.cl, 24 Dec 2019, 01 Dec 2023) She was named the 2017 Para Athlete of the Year by the Sports Journalists' Circle in Chile. (teleton.cl, 19 Dec 2017) In 2016 she was named Best Para Athlete and Sport Promise of the Year by the Sports Journalists' Circle in Chile. She was also presented with the Most Outstanding Para Athlete Performance award by the same body. (biobiochile.cl, 09 Jan 2017) Additional Info: SPORTING FOCUS In 2017 she decided to quit her studies in order to focus on training, and relocated from Castro in Chile to the capital city of Santiago. "I came to Santiago to achieve my best form. In Chiloe [the island where her family live] I didn't have the best conditions. I applied for a scholarship to train at the High Performance Centre and I stay there as a resident athlete to travel less." (paralimpicoschile.wordpress.com, 27 Nov 2018; biobiochile.cl, 09 Jan 2017)

Sporting Relatives: Her twin sister Javiera has competed in non-Para athletics at national level in Chile. (biobiochile.cl, 09 Jan 2017)