Kiara Rodriguez

Started: She took up the sport at age 12 at the Guayas Sports Federation in Guayaquil, Ecuador. (Athlete, 25 Aug 2021) Reason: She previously played volleyball and was introduced to athletics by a coach. (Athlete, 25 Aug 2021; vistazo.com, 08 Mar 2024) Ambition: To win two gold medals at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (eluniverso.com, 19 Jul 2023) Milestones: At the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo she was the youngest of Ecuador's three medallists in Tokyo, winning bronze in the women's T47 long jump at age 18 years and 265 days. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 Jul 2024) Awards: She and fellow Para athlete Jimmy Fabricio Caicedo were named as Ecuador's flag bearers for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. Both athletes performed the same role at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile. (expreso.ec, 10 Nov 2023; eltelegrafo.com.ec, 08 Aug 2024) In 2024 she received the Mercedes Icaza Olvera Award as Women of the Year in the sports category in Ecuador. (Revista Hogar Instagram profile, 05 Mar 2024; vistazo.com, 08 Mar 2024) In 2023 she was named Para Athlete of the Year by the Association of Sports Journalists of Pichincha province in Ecuador. (APDP X profile, 08 Mar 2024) In 2021 she was a recipient of the Golden Legacy Award, the highest award presented by the sports federation of Guayas province in Ecuador. (eluniverso.com, 25 Dec 2021; fedeguayas.com.ec, 07 Dec 2023) She was named among the Best Athletes of the Year at the 2019 Paralympic Gala organised by the Ecuadorian Paralympic Committee and the Ministry of Sports in Ecuador. (elmercurio.com.ec, 19 Dec 2019)