Swimming to success — Assembly

20-year-old Camila Haase Quiros makes a name for herself as Costa Rica’s first female Paralympian.

Assembly's Game Changers series features female athletes around the world who defy convention on and off the field.

Camila Haase Quiros made history at the 2016 Paralympics when she became the first female Paralympian from Costa Rica, but the 20-year-old still has trouble accepting that people look up to her now.

“I don’t see myself as a role model,” she admits. It’s only when Camila works with younger para-athletes through the Proud Paralympian mentorship programme that she realises the impact of her story. “When I talk to them, it’s like ‘Whoa, yes I am [a role model].’ It makes me happy but scared at the same time,” she shares.

Through Proud Paralympian, top para-athletes like Camila help other young people with disabilities get involved in the Paralympic movement and learn how to thrive in sport and in life. “My role is to help athletes access information about their development and the Paralympic movement. I also provide them with advice and guidance to be the best they can be, in and out of the field of play,” Camila explains.

During workshops and activities, Camila gets to know young people from across Costa Rica. “I like to talk with them and know what they are thinking. If they are struggling with something, I can help them,” she shares. “I am a very shy person, I don’t express myself so much but when I see someone like me, I like to talk to them to know them and what they are thinking because I don’t know the struggle if you don’t express yourself.”

Camila never expected that one day she would be one of her country’s top para-athletes. She learned to swim at a young age as a safety precaution; her mom didn’t want her or her sister getting hurt if they fell in the family’s home pool. When her sister started swimming competitively, Camila decided she wanted to compete too.

“When I was little, I loved sports but never saw myself as an elite athlete,” shares Camila. But she soon started winning more and more competitions, eventually qualifying to compete at the 2016 Paralympic Games. Camila was still so new to the field during her historic trip to Brazil. “When I was in Rio, I was young and didn’t know much about the Paralympic movement or the competition. I was excited, nervous, but happy, very happy,” said Camila.

Before the pandemic, Camila trained five to six days a week for two hours each day, focusing on distance, doing sprints and training in each different stroke — all while juggling her studies at the University of Veritas where she is pursuing a degree in architecture. She finds that swimming and studying complement each other well. “I think my training is like an escape from studying, and studying is an escape from the training, so it balances out,” she says.

The ongoing pandemic has disrupted Camila’s usual schedule. She had been training in her swimming pool at home for months when the lockdown just began, but admits it has been difficult to stick to a strict routine, even beyond her training hours. “Some days I get lazy and don’t do anything. Other days I play with puzzles. I try to read a little bit and play with my five dogs. I like to cook, but I haven’t started yet. I want to make cookies but the motivation is not there,” she says with a laugh.

While Camila might (understandably) be lacking motivation at the moment, as soon as she’s able to resume her efforts with Proud Paralympian, she pledges to be back working to “educate and inspire the next generation and create leaders in and out of the para-sport community.”