From the 2 of July until the 12th, I was in Annemasse, France competing in the 14th Finswimming Junior World Championship. This was the first time that I would go to compete all by myself, only accompanied by my coach (Giuliana Belaunde). Last year I had competed in the Panamerican Games in Colombia and I had won three silver medals, improving my personal bests. However, for this competition I proposed to myself that I would improve my times once again and try to get into a final. (150 hours claimed for this section of the activity)

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For this competition my training suddenly became harder than expected because my legs were not used to the lactic acid created from the fins. For the first few weeks it became very hard to complete the meters I needed to swim but it became easier each day. Still, I had some back luck one month before competing which totally shocked me. (LO2)

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My back had started to hurt a few days before so I decided to go to the doctor to check what had occured and when I got there, they informed me I had to do therapy, stop swimming and recover. If I was unable to achieve this, they would not let me go and compete. I did everything I could until the day arrived and the doctor told me I was going to be able to go.

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The 30th of June was all about geeting prepared to go to the competition: packing my bags, checking I had all my equipment, etc. I was very nervous because it was going to be the first time I every traveled alone, only accompanied by my coach. When we got to Netherlands, I became extremely happy because first, I had never been there and second because we were now close to our destination.

We wondered through the airport, until our flight was called. We arrived at Geneva where people from the association picked us up and we were taken to our hotel. Luckily, Colombia was also staying in the same hotel so I was able to see all my friends. Japan, Turkey, Germany and Greece were also staying there and by the end of the trip, we had all become friends. 

In the afternoon, we went to recognize the pool and it has been one of the greatest locations I have ever competed in. It was fast, the starter blocks were modern and everything was well distributed. We trained a little bit so that I could be ready for the competition the next day. At night, we attended the official opening ceremony which was organized by the "Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques". It involved tipical music and dances from France and it motivated all the participants to do their best in the following competitions. 

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During the tournament, I swam 50, 100 and 200 meters bifins. I was very happy with my results as I managed to decrease my times but also because I ranked very high in my competitions. However, I was not able to make it to a final but this has been a motivation as my next goal is to compete, make it to a final and maybe win a medal. (LO1)

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Additionally, the experience has allowed me to grow as I learned to control my nerves in a very high demanding environment so when I came back to national competitions, it has been much easier to compete. Also, friends from other countries that won medals taught me techniques and key points I should take into consideration when training. This has been beneficial because they have much more experience on this discipline than me. The past few weeks of training here in Peru, I have implemented these tips and will continue to do so in the next years. (LO4)

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Once again, the friendships I have made have taught me valuable lessons and they are always proof that countries, borders and languages will never be a barrier for people who share the same passion. 

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