Giuliana Poveda Flores

Started: She began playing badminton at age 14. (badmintonperu.com, 01 Jan 2021) Reason: She took up football at age six, and started playing volleyball at age eight. At age 14 she was invited to join the Peruvian national volleyball team for people of short stature. "But the project did not see the light because there were not enough players. The badminton courts were close by and I was invited to join by coach Isaac Nunez. I tried it and liked it." (Instagram profile, 11 Jun 2022) Ambition: To win a gold medal at the Paralympic Games. (gua.pe, 25 Jul 2022) Milestones: She became the first Para badminton player representing Peru to win a world championship gold medal when she claimed the women's SH6 singles title at the 2019 edition of the tournament in Basel, Switzerland. (SportsDeskOnline, 24 Nov 2023) Awards: In 2023 she received the Sports Laurels in the rank of Grand Cross in recognition of the gold medal she won in the women's SH6 doubles at the 2022 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. She was also presented with the Sports Laurels Award in the rank of Grand Officer for claiming silver in both the SH6 mixed doubles and the SH6 women's singles at the same tournament. (tvperu.gob.pe, 04 Jul 2023) In 2022 she received the Sports Laurels in the rank of Grand Cross for her victory in the SH6 women's singles at the 2019 World Championships in Basel, Switzerland. (gua.pe, 25 Jul 2022) Additional Info: BREAK FROM STUDIES She took a break from her audiovisual communication degree at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in order to focus her attention on preparing for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. "This cycle I did not enrol [in university] because there were many tournaments. Furthermore, Paris 2024 is the only event I plan to participate in this year because I want to continue with my career, I don't want to delay myself so much in that sense." (puntoedu.pucp.edu.pe, 17 May 2024; gob.pe, 06 May 2024)