SCHMIDT GUTIERREZ Paloma Isabel

General
FOURTH OLYMPIC GAMES
She competed at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. "Every experience has been so different from each other. London was very hard for me since I'm very short and it's very difficult for me to gain weight, so I was struggling with the wind every day. Rio was better, but I wish I could have finished some places ahead. This time for Tokyo, I hope I can prepare myself much better and make it to the medal race. I know it's a lofty goal but I also know I can achieve it by working hard. Having experience is a useful tool for anticipating many emotions before a big regatta. Knowing what to expect about a big event enables you to focus on what really matters in order to perform at your best and know what to be most concerned about. That is what I feel experience has given me the most." (laserinternational.org, 06 Dec 2019)

TOUGH REGATTA
She thinks one of the most challenging races of her career was in 2016 Miami World Cup due to problems in and out of the water. "I couldn't pay the entry fee in time and I was out of the event until two days before racing. I still don't know how I managed to stay calm and positive - actually I wasn't very calm. But once I was confirmed to race, all the uncertainty transformed into courage and I qualified for the Olympics. By far my worst year was 2015, not making any gold at any regatta. (laserinternational.org, 06 Dec 2019)

ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES
She has found a number of solutions to help her with the cost of being an elite sailor, including selling brownies and apple pies to pay for the gym while at college, and offering silicon wristbands to her supporters ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games. In early 2014, she made an appeal for sponsors to help her compete at a World Cup event in Miami, FL, United States of America. "People think that I should not have to ask for support because they assume that I don't need it because I have a foreign family name or because I practise sailing. I am not a posh person. I have had to rent my boat and have not had a full-time coach." (trome.pe, 16 Jan 2016; diariocorreo.pe, 28 Nov 2014)