How do I even explain to people that I’ve represented the United States and Venezuela internationally in the sport of skeleton and Hungary in the Olympics in the sport of freestyle halfpipe skiing? My passport stamps look sort of like a world tour, but mostly from cold wintery places involving icy tracks and high speeds. Now, as I embark on my goal of competing internationally in weightlifting, I’m still trying to figure out what country I will compete for.
Being mixed has allowed me to represent multiple countries at the Olympics overall. A few years before the 2018 Olympics, I switched from the United States to Venezuela to Hungary for halfpipe skiing, which I competed for in the World Cup and Olympics. (Above) Here I am with my fellow Hungarian teammates during the opening ceremony. While at the Olympics, I was also super grateful to reconnect with my skeleton and bobsled friends with whom I had trained and competed for years while representing Venezuela and the United States.
Athletes compete for one country at a time at the Olympics. While I was excited and honored to represent Hungary, my foundation of training as an athlete for Venezuela and the United States for years for skeleton and freestyle halfpipe skiing were building blocks to make it as an Olympian in 2018.
