Ángel Yahir, young promise in the Paralympic Games

He has 20 Medals for participating in the Discipline of Chair Basketball

Angel is a 16-year-old patient who came to Shriners Hospital at the age of three with a diagnosis of myelomeningocele. Currently, he shares with us that he has more than 20 medals for participating in the disciplines of Track Running and Chair Basketball. Check his story below.

His History

Ángel Yahir is a Paralympic athlete in the discipline of Wheelchair Basketball, who currently represents the State of Mexico in national competitions. He proudly tells us about the large number of medals he has obtained in his short sporting career.

It was thanks to the invitation of his independent life coach that Ángel came to visit a basketball team to see if he could be part of it. Upon arrival, Ángel believed that it was a team only to do “challenges” and play, but his surprise was greater when he realized that the team to which he had been invited was part of CONADE.

Ángel did a tryout and was accepted into the team, which became one of the best experiences for him, as he was quite pleased to be part of that team.

Competitions come into play

Ángel's first participation was in the 2018 Colima Paralympic Games; he only had been with the team for four months, and despite this short time, he was able to get the Bronze Medal, in what was his first National Paralympic Event. “I was nervous because it was our first competition at the national level,” explains Ángel.

By 2019, Ángel was already in his second CONADE competition, where they gladly obtained the Silver Medal. His dream is to become part of the National Team in the discipline of Chair Basketball. And, if everything turns out well, his third Paralympic competition will be in Yucatán this year.

But his sporting passion is not limited only to chair basketball, as he also practices shot put and discus. He also participates in night races organized by the UNAM. Besides, Ángel tells us that his favorite team is the Pumas. Ángel proudly has more than 20 medals, including a medal awarded by the Argentine Embassy in recognition of his sports career and for being a good student. “I would like to be a physiotherapist,” he says.

Getting ready before the Competition

But every great dream entails a great discipline to achieve it, that is why, in each competition, Ángel trains hard. He trains three times a week for four hours, including Saturdays.

The Message

“Give it a try; not just because you have this condition it means you can do nothing. It is not easy, but everything is possible. I know what it's like to have a disability. Do not limit yourself to anything. Don't give up, because there are no impossible things for us,” Ángel concludes.