Three of the four competitors have another nationality and another has not lived in Mexico for 10 years. In any case, they form the largest delegation from Mexico to the Winter Olympics since Salt Lake City 2002, when there were also four athletes.
THE AMERICAN SARAH SCHLEPER
The 38-year-old skier will participate in alpine skiing and is an American by birth, so she competed for that country in Nagano 98, Salt Lake City 2002, Torino 2006 and Vancouver 2010 without winning medals.
Pyeongchang 2018 will be her fifth winter games, although the first for Mexico. In 2011 she retired, but in 2014 she returned to the activity after marrying her Mexican-born husband, Federico Gaxiola, and obtaining nationality in April of that year.
RODOLFO DICKSON, THE MEXICAN WHO DOES NOT SPEAK SPANISH
The Mexican-Canadian Rodolfo Roberto Dickson Sommers, who will also compete in alpine skiing, was born in Puerto Vallarta on July 11, 1997. At nine months old he was abandoned by his biological parents and at three years was adopted by a Canadian couple, who took him to Ontario.
From the age of six, Roberto started skiing and now with 20 years of experience he has competed as a Mexican in various tournaments around the world, as well as training in countries such as Canada, the United States, Austria, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
FROM CALIFORNIA, ROBERT FRANCO
The Mexican-American Robert Franco, who will compete in freestyle skiing, was born in 1993 in Sacramento, California. He obtained the nationality from his father, who is Mexican, while his mother is American.
Franco has lived all his life in the United States. He is the youngest of four brothers and his mother’s language is English, so he does not speak Spanish perfectly. According to the world ranking, Franco is number 25 in freestyle skiing.
MADRAZO, THE RESIDENT OF MCALLEN
Germán Madrazo, a 43-year-old skier from Querétaro who will participate in cross-country skiing, has no other nationality but has lived in McAllen, Texas for more than 10 years, with his wife and triplets. During his career, he has paid for all his expenses for both trips to competitions and training, as well as being a runner and triathlete when participating in competitions such as the Ironman.
Source: Vallarta Daily
