Cristian Valenzuela

Cristián Exequiel Valenzuela Guzmán was born in Santiago, april 28th, 1983. He is a chilean paralympic athlete. Winner of the first medal for Chile in the Paralympics. Valenzuela has a total blindes.

His life during the early years of blindness: He says that after losing sight were difficult years, and his only refuge was the Hip-Hop as a weapon against the world and poetry to convey their feelings. One day a social worker called and said, "Or 'll look for the police to get you admitted to the school or leave the house on your own."

Beginnings in the sport: He lost his eyesight at age 12, due to a congenital glaucoma. After this event, he decided to redirect his life to overcome depression in which it was, and started practicing athletics.

(Glaucoma is an eye disease that gradually loses vision.)

His first participation in the Paralympic Games was in Pekin 2008, where he competed in the 1500 meters in the category T-11(t-11 is one of three classifications for athletes with visual impairment)

World champion and Paralympics gold: In late 2010, took as their guide the athlete Christopher Guajardo. His first major result was the world of New Zealand 2011 where he was champion in the marathon category and second in the ten thousand meters.

On 7 September two thousand and twelve participated in the test of 5000 m in the Paralympic Games with his guide, he scored a time of 15:26,26, it goes with the gold medal. This was the first time that Chile won a medal in the Paralympics after 20 years of its debut.

In December 2012 he received the "Award for Best Sportsman of the Year" by the gymnast Tomás González.

He was also awarded the National Sports Award 2012 in August 2013.

In July 2013, he participated in the Paralympic World Athletics held in Lyon (France), together with the guides and Lucas Rodrigo Jaramillo Mellado, where he won a silver medal in the five thousand and fifteen hundred meters and a gold medal in the marathon.

In March 2014 he participated in the Games Parasuramericanos two thousand fourteen held in his native Santiago de Chile, where he earned a gold medal in the 1500 meters in the category T-11.

"In life there are two options: sit and stay or stop crying and carry on"

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