By Juan Pablo Sebastián

A lifetime dedicated to sport has culminated in the fulfillment of Rosarito native Randal Willars Valdez’s ultimate dream: participating in the Olympic Games.

Although he couldn’t attend the previous Tokyo Olympics, Paris 2024 presents a golden opportunity to showcase his years of training, dedication, and effort on the world stage.

At 22 years old, the diver from Rosarito is one of the top contenders for the Mexican delegation in the diving discipline and will fiercely compete for medals against the world’s top athletes, particularly the Chinese, who are his main rivals.

“In Tokyo 2020, I felt ready; I was at a good level, but I couldn’t attend. It’s just part of sports. Now I have the opportunity to go to Paris—these are my first Olympic Games, representing the first step of a dream come true, to live that Olympic experience,” said the young athlete before departing for Paris.

In 2021, the Rosarito native won a silver medal in the 10-meter platform final at the World Diving Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

In Paris 2024, Randal Willars is aiming for the gold that Mexico has yet to wrest from the Chinese.

The Mexican diver has been working to perfect a 4.5 forward somersault in B position with a degree of difficulty of 4.1—the most challenging dive recorded in the sport. Currently, he is the only diver with this move in his repertoire.