Pickleball Magazine 3-5 WD | Page 63

PB is Growing History-Making Achievement BY BETSY KENNISTON, USAPA AMBASSADOR, TOLEDO, OH I n the Third International Pickleball Tournament in Holland, Carmen Lopez from Madrid, Spain, won the bronze medal! It was a history- making achievement. Carmen is the first Down syndrome athlete to both play in an international tournament and win a medal! Carmen said of her accomplishment, “I feel proud and excited, and enjoyed it a lot!” Carmen is the youngest in her large family. Supported by her siblings and parents, Ana and Enrique, she’s played other racket sports including tennis, badminton, and padel, and has won several medals in adapted sports competitions. She was introduced to pickleball when her sports teacher, Concha Delgado Raso of Fundación Alas Madrid, an organization supporting adults with intellectual disabilities, and Gema Garcia Rodriguez, President of Madrileña Pickleball Asociación, organized a pickleball event. Fundación Alas believes the sport is of great importance in life, and pickleball is now played by all at Alas. Carmen and Concha were chosen by the Alas team to attend the Amsterdam tournament with the Spanish team, who quickly learned to play inclusively and embrace their new pickleball friends. At the Holland tournament, Carmen was selected to receive a special traveling paddle award for her accomplishment. This honor, which started at the Espoo, Finland, tournament in 2017, travels to each European tournament and is awarded to a European player whose accomplishments stand out from the rest. Carmen was thrilled to be chosen, and there were few dry eyes as she made her acc