María Vanesa Ortega Godoy facts for kids
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| Born | 24 March 1981 Malaga, Spain |
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| Country |  Spain |
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| Sport | Paralympic athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability | Congenital cataracts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability class | T11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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María Vanesa Ortega Godoy is a former athlete from Spain. She competed in Paralympic athletics, especially in sprint races. She won a silver medal at the Paralympic Games.
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Her Early Life and Start in Sports
María Vanesa Ortega Godoy was born with a condition called congenital cataracts. This means she had problems with her eyesight from birth. Her mother had rubella (a type of measles) during pregnancy, which caused this.
Her amazing journey in sports began in January 1994. Her parents took her to the Louis Braille Education Resource Centre in Seville. There, she met her first coach, Florencio Morcillo.
First Competitions and Big Wins
Florencio Morcillo trained María for less than a month. Soon, she competed in her very first track and field event. This competition was for blind and visually impaired athletes in Torremolinos.
She did so well that she qualified for the IBSA European Championships in London. At these championships, she was incredible! She won four gold medals in sprinting events and also in the long jump.
A year later, she became a national champion in the 400m and 800m races. She was chosen again for the IBSA European Championships in Valencia. However, she could not go because she needed eye surgery.
Competing at the Paralympics
María Vanesa Ortega Godoy joined the Spanish Paralympic athletics team. She competed at the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, USA. She had won two national championships, which helped her get there.
She was one of the youngest athletes from Spain at these Games. She was only fifteen years old!
Winning a Paralympic Medal
In the 200m race, she finished second in her heat. She was just behind Claire Brunotte from Germany. Claire even set a new world record in that race!
Then, in the 400m final, María finished second again. This time, she was behind Rima Batalova from Russia. By finishing second, María earned a silver medal for Spain! This was a huge achievement for such a young athlete.
After the Paralympics
After winning her Paralympic silver medal, María continued to compete. She went to the IBSA World Games in Madrid in 1998. There, she won two more medals.
She also won two gold medals at the 1998 World Junior Championships in Prague. These wins were in the 400m race and the shot put event. She even took part in a special 100m T12 demonstration event at the 2001 IAAF World Championships.
María Vanesa Ortega Godoy showed everyone that with hard work and determination, you can achieve amazing things!
See also
In Spanish: María Vanesa Ortega para niños
