Alejandra Benítez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alejandra Benítez |
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 July 1980 Caracas, Venezuela |
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| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 62 kg (137 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Fencing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weapon | Sabre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hand | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIE ranking | current ranking | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Alejandra Benítez Romero, born on July 7, 1980, is a famous Venezuelan fencer. She specializes in the sabre event. Alejandra has represented her country in four Olympic Games: 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016. Besides her sports career, she also served as the Minister of Sports in Venezuela for a short time in 2013.
Contents
Alejandra Benítez: Fencing Star and Minister
Early Life and Fencing Start
Alejandra Benítez grew up in the Antímano district of Caracas, Venezuela. She started fencing when she was fifteen years old. This happened by chance, after one of her aunts suggested it. Her aunt knew a fencing coach named Hildemaro Sánchez at the Central University of Venezuela.
The Venezuelan national fencing team also trained in the same hall. Seeing them inspired Alejandra to work hard. She wanted to join the national team herself. Besides fencing, Alejandra also enjoyed other activities. She practiced ballet, judo, and even tried music, swimming, and volleyball.
Junior and Senior Fencing Achievements
In 1996, Alejandra joined Venezuela's national junior fencing team. She took part in the first Junior World Fencing Championships for women's sabre. This event was held in 1999 in Dijon, France. Her team won a gold medal in the team event. They beat strong teams from Italy, France, and Germany.
As a senior fencer, Alejandra continued to achieve great things. In 2005, she won the Havana Fencing World Cup. She also earned bronze medals at the Pan American Fencing Championships in 2006, 2008, and 2013. She has won several silver and bronze medals at the Pan American Games.
Olympic Journey
Alejandra Benítez has competed in four Olympic Games. She first qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She was defeated in her first match there.
She then qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She was one of the top two fencers from the Americas. At these Games, she lost to a fencer from Poland.
The 2012 Summer Olympics was her third time at the Olympics. She won her first match against a fencer from Korea. However, she then lost to Sofiya Velikaya, who was ranked second in the world at the time. She also competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
A Role in Government
In 1999, Alejandra met Hugo Chávez, who was a very important political figure in Venezuela. She was very impressed by him. She supported him in several elections. She even appeared in a TV advertisement for his presidential campaign. After his passing, she was an honour guard at his funeral.
On March 22, 2013, Alejandra Benítez was chosen for an important role. She became the Minister of Sports for the government. This new government was led by Nicolás Maduro. She held this position for less than a year. In January 2014, she was replaced by Tony Álvarez as part of a change in government ministers.
See Also
In Spanish: Alejandra Benítez para niños
