PIRON CANDELARIO Beatriz Elizabeth

General
SURPRISE QUALIFICATION
She had not expected to compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo after falling pregnant with her third child in 2020, but was informed she had earned a qualification place in May 2021. "The news came just 42 days after I had given birth. The first thing I did was consult the doctors, and we were told there would be no problems. It is obviously a slow process. I started to train in May 2021, when my condition was at around 30%. I hope to be at 85% for the Games. I hope to be among the five best in the world, reach the total I managed before I got pregnant, and see how much my body can endure." (diariolibre.com, 26 May 2021; elcaribe.com.do, 25 May 2021; listindiario.com, 08 Sep 2020)

FAMILY AND SPORT
She became a mother at age 15, and found it hard to combine sport and the responsibility of being a single parent. "I was a single mother and I had to keep both sport and family going. I managed thanks to my mother and my aunt. The hardest thing is when I have to leave them behind when I travel. Sometimes I thought about leaving the sport to look for a job closer to them, but thankfully I have been able to overcome the challenge." (metrord.do, 21 May 2017)