Veronica Rodriguez Pulido

Started: She took up the sport at age 30 in Trasona, Spain. (Athlete, 26 Aug 2024; tokio2020.dxtadaptado.com, 25 Jul 2021) Reason: Following the death of her mother, her father got her a chalana boat [a small wooden boat] to compete in the 2019 Soto del Barco Regatta in Spain. She was spotted at that race by Grupo Corvera de Remo coach Alfredo Dominguez Gonzalez, who invited her to try rowing. She then took up the sport as a distraction from the death of her mother. "It was my best psychological therapy. Rowing was the moment of the day when I was at peace." (tokio2020.dxtadaptado.com, 25 Jul 2021) Awards: In 2022 she received the Para Sport Award at the Sports Gala of the autonomous community of the Principality of Asturias in Spain. (deporteasturiano.org, 06 Oct 2022) She and her PR3 coxed mixed four teammates received the Special Mention of the Year at the 2021 Spanish Rowing Gala held by the Spanish Rowing Federation. (rcntarragona.org, 2021) Additional Info: TRIBUTE TO HER MOTHER In 2017 she was the first woman to compete in the traditional chanalas race at the Soto del Barco Regatta in Spain. The following year, her mother Maige Pulido persuaded the competition's officials to let her and Veronica organise a women's race. Maige then died suddenly three weeks before the event and Veronica named the women's race 'My Princess', after what her mother called her. She went on to compete in the 2019 race in a boat that her father had bought for her with the inscription, 'Do not dream your life, live your dream', her mother's motto, on it. "It was the hardest blow in my life. She was not only my mother, but a unique person, pure kindness, my greatest support." (tokio2020.dxtadaptado.com, 25 Jul 2021) OCCUPATION She has worked as a primary school teacher and as a lottery ticket seller for the Spanish National Organisation of the Blind [ONCE]. (Athlete, 26 Aug 2024; Instagram profile, 15 Aug 2021, 09 Jul 2021)