Sonia Abejón facts for kids
 |
|
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Born | 1 August 1985 Madrid, Spain |
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Weight | 48 kg (106 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Gymnastics |
Sonia Abejón Esteban, born on August 1, 1985, is a talented Spanish gymnast. She competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics. Today, she coaches young gymnasts at the San Fernando de Henares Rhythmic Gymnastics Club.
Contents
Her Gymnastics Journey
Starting Young
Sonia began rhythmic gymnastics when she was just 5 years old. She started at the Torrejón School of Rhythmic Gymnastics in Torrejón de Ardoz, near Madrid. When she was 13, she moved to the C.G.R.D. San Fernando club in San Fernando de Henares.
She quickly started winning medals. In 1997, she earned a silver medal in rope. She also won bronze medals in freehand and clubs at the Spanish Championship in Barcelona. In 1999, she won another bronze medal in ribbon in the junior category at a Spanish Championship in Zaragoza.
Becoming a National Gymnast
In January 2001, Sonia was chosen to join the Spanish national rhythmic gymnastics team. This meant she trained for about 8 hours a day! She practiced at a special training center in Madrid.
In 2002, Sonia competed in her first big international event. This was the European Championship in Geneva. Her team finished 7th in the All-Around competition. The All-Around means combining scores from all the different routines. Later that year, she competed at the World Championship in New Orleans. Her team placed 9th in the All-Around there.
Competing in Europe and Worlds
The year 2003 was very busy for Sonia and her team. They won three gold medals at a tournament in Madeira. They also earned three bronze medals at a competition in Russia.
In April 2003, the Spanish team competed in the Riesa European Championship. They finished 6th in the All-Around. This was a great result!
In September, they went to the World Championship in Budapest. Here, they again placed 6th in the All-Around. This important finish meant they qualified for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games!
The Olympic Dream
In 2004, the team continued to prepare for the Olympics. They won three silver medals at a tournament in Madeira. They also competed in several World Cup events, placing well in each.
Finally, in August, the Olympic Games in Athens arrived. This was Sonia's only time competing in the Olympics. The Spanish team did very well in the first round. They finished 8th, which allowed them to move on to the final.
On August 28, the team competed in the Olympic final. They finished in 7th place! For this achievement, Sonia received an Olympic diploma. This is a special award given to athletes who perform well at the Olympics.
After Competition
After the Olympic Games in Athens, Sonia decided to retire from gymnastics. However, she returned to compete again from 2006 to 2010. She joined the District III Club of Alcalá de Henares.
With this club, she won a bronze medal in 2006 at the Spanish Group Championship. This helped her club move up to the top category. She continued to compete in national championships in the following years.
After leaving the national team, Sonia has worked in different jobs. She has been a security guard and a flight attendant. She also became a rhythmic gymnastics coach. She has the highest level of national coaching certification.
Today, Sonia coaches and is the technical director of the San Fernando de Henares Rhythmic Gymnastics Club. This is the same club where she trained as a young gymnast! Another former teammate, Marta Linares, also coaches there. A sports center in Torrejón de Ardoz was even named after Sonia in 2015.
See also
In Spanish: Sonia Abejón para niños
