Queen of Latin American swimming!
From 1974 to the early 1980s, the most popular athlete in Central America was a woman. Her name: María del Milagro París, prominent Costa Rican athlete. She undoubtedly put Costa Rica and Latin America on the map when she competed in the Summer Olympics (Montreal 1976 and Moscow 1980) and World Championships (Cali 1974). Revered and respected by Costa Rica, one of the most stable and prosperous republics in the Western Hemisphere, she has been an inspiration to Silvia and Claudia Poll, who were the best athletes – male or female – in Latin America in the late 1980s and mid – 1990s.
1980 was one of the best years for the sport in Costa Rica. Why? As one of the best swimmers in Latin America during the 1970s and early 1980s, Costa Rican María París became the first swimmer from Central America to reach the final of an Olympic event when she qualified for the final at the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics. After several months of hard work and preparation, she, who was the best Costa Rican at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, came seventh in the women’s 100-meter butterfly.
Maria del Milagro Paris — Born to swim
His career as an international athlete began at the XII Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in 1974, where he won a total of three gold medals. Since then, he hasn’t won gold by accident. Miss Paris, accompanied by Francisco “Frank” Rivas (National Coach of the Costa Rican Swimming Team), had worked very hard in the last three years. Like Silvia and Claudia Poll Arehns, she had been trained at Club Cariari, one of the most famous Costa Rican swimming clubs.
After being selected to compete for the Costa Rican Olympic Team in 1974, París led a national delegation to the FINA World Championships in Cali, Colombia. In that event, she finished fifth in the women’s 100m butterfly. In addition to international titles, he also broke several national and regional records between 1974 and 1982.
After María’s participation in the 1980 Olympic Games, she had competed in the Central American and Caribbean Games in Havana (Cuba). At these Games, she won two golds in women’s swimming (100m butterfly and 200m medley). She also got a bronze in the 200 m butterfly.
After her retirement as an athlete in 1984, the Olympic year, she was succeeded by Silvia Poll, an outstanding swimmer between 1986 and 1992. In addition to her singular discipline, María París will be remembered as the first Latin American swimmer to reach the final of a world championship. Certainly she is a notable example for several Olympians.
