Paola Longoria facts for kids
Longoria in 2014
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| Born | July 20, 1989 San Luis Potosí, Mexico |
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| Sport | Racquetball | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Fran Davis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Paola Michelle Longoria López (born July 20, 1989) is a famous Mexican racquetball player. She is known as one of the best racquetball players ever! Paola has won many championships around the world, including several World Championships and Pan American Games gold medals. She was the first Mexican woman to become the number one professional racquetball player.
Paola uses a special way to hold her racquet, called a semi-western grip. This is unusual in racquetball, but it has helped her become a top player.
Paola's Early Racquetball Journey
Paola started playing racquetball when she was just eight years old. She found the sport at a summer camp and instantly loved it. She decided to put all her energy into becoming a great player.
Junior World Champion Titles
Paola was incredibly successful as a junior player. She won eight straight International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Championships. This means she won twice in each age group: 12 and under, 14 and under, 16 and under, and 18 and under.
She also won six Girl's Doubles titles at the World Juniors. She often played with partners like Eleni Guzman, Luisa Aldrete, and Arantza Loredo.
Becoming a Pro Player for Mexico
Paola began playing on the professional tour and representing Mexico when she was still very young.
First Big Wins as a Teenager
In 2004, at just 15, Paola reached the quarterfinals of the US Open Racquetball Championships. Even though she lost to a top player, Rhonda Rajsich, people noticed her talent. Rajsich said, "Watch out for that one!"
At 16, Paola joined the Mexican National Team. She won a gold medal at the 2006 Pan American Racquetball Championships in Guatemala City. She also won gold at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games in both singles and team events.
First Pro Final and World Championships
In 2007, Paola reached her first professional final at a tournament in New Orleans. She was the 14th seed but surprised many by beating higher-ranked players. She finished 12th in the season rankings that year.
A few months later, in September 2007, Paola won her first professional tournament in North Carolina. She beat Rhonda Rajsich in the final.
Becoming World Number One
Paola's career took off, and she soon became the top-ranked player.
Winning the US Open and Top Ranking
In 2008, Paola won her second Pan American Racquetball Championships title. Later that year, she won her first US Open title. This was a big deal because it was the first time a Mexican player had won the US Open.
She finished the 2008-09 season as the number one player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT). She held this top spot for ten years in a row!
World Games and More Gold Medals
In 2009, Paola won a gold medal at the 2009 World Games in Taiwan. This was the first time racquetball was included in the World Games since 1995.
She continued to win many tournaments, including her third Pan American Championship in 2010. She also defended her title at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games.
At the 2010 Racquetball World Championships in South Korea, Paola won three medals. She won gold in Women's Doubles with her partner Samantha Salas. This was Mexico's first women's World Championship title.
Pan American Games Success
In 2011, Paola won three gold medals for Mexico at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. She won in Women's Singles, Women's Doubles (with Samantha Salas), and the Women's Team event.
Paola's Amazing Winning Streak
From 2011 to 2014, Paola had an incredible winning streak on the professional tour. She did not lose a single match for three and a half years!
More World and Pan American Titles
In 2012, Paola won two gold medals at the Pan American Championships in Chile. She then became a triple gold medalist at the 2012 Racquetball World Championships in the Dominican Republic. She won Women's Singles, Doubles, and the Team event. Her singles win was the first for a Mexican woman at the World Championships.
She continued her dominance, winning her third and fourth US Open titles in 2012 and 2013.
In 2014, Paola won two more gold medals at the 2014 Racquetball World Championships in Canada, winning both Women's Singles and Doubles. She and Samantha Salas won the doubles title for the third time in a row.
Ending the Streak and Continued Success
Paola won her fifth US Open title in 2014. She also won the first-ever LPRT doubles division at the US Open with Veronica Sotomayor.
However, a week later, her amazing winning streak ended when Rhonda Rajsich defeated her. Despite this, Paola remained the number one LPRT player for a sixth time.
She continued to win multiple gold medals at the 2015 Pan American Championships and the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. At the Pan American Games, she won all three women's competitions: Singles, Doubles, and Team event.
Paola won her sixth and seventh US Open titles in 2015 and 2016. She also won her third Women's Singles World title at the 2016 Racquetball World Championships.
Recent Achievements and Legacy
Paola has continued to be a top player, adding more titles and breaking records.
World Championships and US Open Wins
In 2018, Paola reached the final of the World Championships but lost to Gabriela Martinez. This was her first loss at the Worlds since 2010.
However, she quickly bounced back, winning her ninth US Open title in 2018. She also won the US Open doubles title with Samantha Salas. This led to her fifth undefeated LPRT season and her tenth time finishing as the number one player.
In 2019, Paola won three more gold medals at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. She won Women's Singles, Women's Doubles (with Samantha Salas), and the Women's Team event. Her achievements led the World Games organization to name her their Athlete of the Month.
She won her tenth US Open in 2019. Even during the COVID-shortened seasons of 2019-20 and 2020-21, Paola won most of the tournaments and remained the number one player.
Becoming the Most Decorated Player
Paola won her eleventh US Open in 2021. She also regained both the Women's Singles and Women's Doubles World Championships at the 2021 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships in Guatemala City.
These 2021 titles made Paola the player with the most wins in IRF World Championships history. She is also the only woman to have won both singles and doubles at the Worlds.
Her success at the 2021 World Championships qualified her for the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama. She won gold in women's singles, making it her third World Games gold medal. This makes her the player with the most racquetball wins in World Games history.
Paola continued her winning streak at the 2022 Racquetball World Championships, winning gold in Women's Singles, Doubles, and the Team event. She now has 10 gold medals at the Worlds (5 in singles and 5 in doubles with Samantha Salas), further extending her record as the winningest player in IRF World Championship history.
In the 2022-23 season, Paola finished second in the rankings. This was the first time she wasn't number one at the end of the season since 2010-11.
Other Special Recognitions
Paola has received many honors for her amazing career.
- In 2010, the Mexican government gave her the National Sports Award.
- In 2013, Forbes Magazine's Mexico edition named her one of the 50 most influential women in Mexico.
- She was Mexico's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2015 Pan American Games.
- In 2021, Mattel announced that Paola would be one of three new Barbie dolls created to honor Latin American athletes.
Paola's Amazing Career Overview
Paola Longoria is the player with the most wins in both professional women's racquetball and international competitions. She has won over 100 professional tournaments. This includes a record 11 victories at the US Open Racquetball Championships, which is the most important professional racquetball event.
Internationally, she has won five IRF World Championships in both Women's Singles and Doubles. She also has nine gold medals from the Pan American Games.
Images for kids
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Longoria in 2014
See also
In Spanish: Paola Longoria para niños
- List of racquetball players
