A spinal injury killed Adriana Ruano’s dream as a gymnast. She just won Guatemala’s first Olympic gold medal as a shooter.
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A spinal injury ended Adriana Ruano’s Olympic dream as a gymnast. But on Wednesday, she came back as a shooter and won Guatemala’s first Olympic gold medal.
Ruano was training for the 2011 world championships in gymnastics, a qualifier for the London Olympics the following year, when she felt pain in her back.
An MRI showed the then-16-year-old had six damaged vertebrae — a career-ending injury — and Ruano’s doctor recommended she take up shooting if she wanted to stay in sports without aggravating her injured back.
reported.
According to Panam Sports, Ruano’s father died just weeks before she competed in the Tokyo Olympics.
“I am blessed to have my mom and brother in Paris, giving me their support,” she told Panam Games before the competition. “I thank them too and all my fellow Guatemalans. Know that I carry you all in my heart.”
Guatemala had never before won a gold medal at the Olympics, and had only one medal of any kind in its history until Tuesday, when Jean Pierre Brol won bronze in the men’s trap.
Italy’s Silvana Stanco won the silver on 40 and Australia’s Penny Smith took the bronze.
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Source: cbsnews.com