Arly Velásquez

{{Short description|Mexican Paralympic alpine skier (born 1988)}}

Arly Aristides Velásquez Peñaloza{{family name footnote|lang=Spanish|Velásquez|Peñaloza}} (born August 17, 1988) is a Paralympian who represented Mexico at the 2010 Winter Paralympics, along with teammate Armando Ruiz. Velasquez broke his back in a mountain biking accident in 2001. After trying many wheelchair sports, such as shot put, wheelchair basketball and tennis, he discovered the sport of mono-skiing. Mono-skiing is similar to skiing for able-bodied however, athletes sit on a single ski with crutch-like ski poles using their hips to make turns.{{cite web |url=http://www.odt.co.nz/sport/skiing/71674/winter-games-chair-part-challenge-skier |title=Winter Games: Chair part of the challenge for skier |author=Wolfe, Felicity |date=28 August 2009 |work=Otago Daily Times |accessdate=16 September 2011}} Velásquez also represented Mexico at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 Winter Paralympics.

Biography

At 13 years of age, Velásquez suffered an accident that left him with broken vertebrae and an irreversible spinal cord injury. He was informed he would never walk again and would be bedridden for the rest of his life. Despite his accident, at age 15 he attempted several wheelchair sports, such as shot put, wheelchair basketball, wheel chair javelin and swimming, before discovering the sport of mono-skiing.{{Cite news |date=2018-09-03 |title=Arly Velásquez, la perla mexicana que competirá en Paralímpicos de Invierno |url=https://www.milenio.com/deportes/arly-velasquez-perla-mexicana-competira-paralimpicos-invierno |access-date=2024-05-30 |work=La Afición {{!}} Milenio}}

Velásquez pursued film studies in Argentina.

Notes

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20100409122738/http://www.vancouver2010.com/paralympic-games/paralympic-alpine-skiing/athletes/arly-velasquez-penaloza_ath3001490Am.html Arly Velasquez Penaloza at the official website of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games]
{{IPC athlete|arly-aristides-velasquez-penaloza|Arly Aristides Velasquez Penaloza|old_id=912813}}

{{succession box

| before = Patricia Valle

| title = Flagbearer for {{MEX}}

| years = Sochi 2014

| after = Nely Miranda

}}

{{succession box

| before = Nely Miranda

| title = Flagbearer for {{MEX}}

| years = Pyeongchang 2018

| after = Diego López Díaz and Amalia Pérez

}}