Pilar Jauregui Cancino

Started: She took up the sport in 2015, and began competing in 2016. (Bicentenario Peru 2021 YouTube channel, 12 Mar 2019) Reason: After representing Peru in wheelchair basketball, she was invited to try the sport by fellow Peruvian Para badminton player, Pedro Pablo de Vinatea. She was not enthusiastic about the sport initially and she regularly left badminton practice in order to play tennis. However, her coach Isaac Nunez insisted and made her stay in the sport. After her first competition she was hooked. "I went on just to give it a try and won the gold medal. It was the first time I competed in badminton. I didn't even know how many points I needed to score, I just knew that I had to prevent the shuttlecock from hitting the ground." (Bicentenario Peru 2021 YouTube channel, 12 Mar 2019; rpp.pe, 01 Sep 2020; TVPeru Noticias YouTube channel, 01 Sep 2019) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. She also wants to establish a Para sports academy. (santiago2023.org, 01 Nov 2023) Awards: She and Para shooting athlete Jorge Arcela were named as Peru's flag bearers for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (elcomercio.pe, 24 Jul 2024) She was named Best Female Para Badminton Player of the Year for 2023 by the Peruvian Badminton Federation. She also received the Best Female Para Badminton Doubles Player of the Year award alongside her teammate Jaquelin Burgos at the awards ceremony. (gob.pe, 12 Feb 2024) She was named Best Para Badminton Player of the Year by the Pan American Badminton Confederation in 2023. (Asociacion Nacional Paralimpica del Peru Facebook page, 26 Jan 2024) She received an acknowledgement from the Peruvian Congress in 2023. (Instagram profile, 20 Dec 2023) In 2023 she was named among the 50 Most Powerful Women in Peru by Forbes magazine. (forbes.pe, 13 Aug 2023) In 2023 she received Sports Laurels of Peru Awards in both the Grand Cross and Grand Officer grades from the Peruvian Sport Institute in recognition of her performance at the 2022 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. (tvperu.gob.pe, 04 Jul 2023) She was named 2022 Para Female Athlete of the Year by the Americas Paralympic Committee. (santiago2023.org, 01 Nov 2023; Americas Paralympic Committee Instagram profile, 04 Dec 2022; gob.pe, 04 Dec 2022) She was named 2022 Para Sportsperson of the Year by the Peruvian Paralympic Association [ANPPERU]. (Asociacion Nacional Paralimpica del Peru Facebook page, 16 Feb 2023) She was a recipient of the Lima 2020 Award from the municipality of Lima, Peru, for being a role model for women in the sports category. (larepublica.pe, 07 Mar 2020) She was one of five athletes to be named Para Sportsperson of the Year in Peru in 2019 by the Peruvian Paralympic Association. (anpperu.org, 26 Feb 2020) Additional Info: FUTURE PLANS She would like to run a sports academy once her sporting career is over. "I want kids to try several sports so they can choose which one they prefer to practise. I still have plenty to give back to my country." (perudeportes.pe, 19 Jun 2019) OTHER ROLES She has worked as a wheelchair basketball coach. (Bicentenario Peru 2021 YouTube channel, 12 Mar 2019)