TIJUANA A gold medal winner from the border region thanks his mother for starting him down the path that this summer will take him to the Summer Olympics in London.
Daniel Corral recalled that she enrolled him in gymnastics classes in his native Ensenada when he was three years old to keep him "out of mischief at home."
The 21-year-old is a two-time gold medal winner in last year's Pan American Games and today is one of Mexico's great promises in the upcoming Olympics.
Corral recalled his roots last week up upon his return from the Men's Artistic Gymnastics Olympic Qualification in London, where he placed first in the parallel bars, fourth in the all-around and fifth in the pommel horse, enough to earn him a ticket back for the Summer Games.
He's on leave from the University of Michigan, where he is studying biomedical engineering and will train mostly in Ensenada.
That's where his journey began, at the old Gimnasio Montserrat (today called Club de Gimnasia Ensenada), which he called his "second home."
"Back then I saw gymnastics as a game, something to entertain me but then I began winning competitions. That's how my dream began," he said in a press conference Thursday at the advanced sports training facility known as CAR.
Corral was accompanied by his trainer Óscar Aguirre and Baja California's director of sports, Saúl Castro Verdugo.
He credited his family with helping him to become a champion, as well as trainers, doctors, a psychologist and state sports officials.
"An athlete is not formed alone, he's part of a team," he said. "I owe my achievements to all those people who were with me."
He is the first Mexican male gymnast to compete in the Olympics in 20 years. The last one was Luis López, who participated in the Barcelona Games in 1992.
Corral said that when he heard Mexico's national anthem in the Olympic qualifiers, he thought about all he's had to get there and all the people who helped him along the way.
His goal is to be standing at the winners' podium this summer.
"We know it's not going to be easy," he said. "I believe that if we keep working like we have been, we'll reach that goal."
He was asked if he felt ready for the greatest challenge of his life.
"I have never been more ready."
Last year, he fractured a bone in a foot at a competition in Tokyo. He saw the injury as a challenge he had overcome to become to be a champion.
For his part, Aguirre said his arrived from his native city of Torreón in Baja California to become a trainer.
He said he's s received great support from the state's sports agency, known as INDE.
"The agency has vision, ambition and as a result, it has a Baja Californian in the Olympic Games."
Aguirre is aware that his charge will have to compete with the best athletes, noting that Corral ranks number two in the parallel bars in the world.
For now, Corral and his trainer are planning his training schedule that will take the gymnast to the Olympics, scheduled for July 27 to Aug. 12 in London.
Corral prefers to continue his training in what he calls his second home, the Montserrat Gym in Ensenada, where he arrived nearly 20 years ago.
He says that from time to time he may train in the United States, as well.
His regimen consists of training six hours a day, from Monday through Saturday.
He's not the only gymnastic champion from Ensenada. Santiago López won the gold medal in the Pan American Games in 2010 as well as two silver ones in the Central American Games.
Corral said the city is a big promoter of sports and he credits its schools with teaching perseverance.
Beyond his physical training, he says it's important to develop human qualities that prepare individuals to be good people. That's something his parents taught him, he said.
He's taking a break from his studies at the University of Michigan, where he began studying three years ago.
His goal this year is put the name of Mexico and Baja California in the highest level possible.
"There is talent here, there is potential. I want people to see that if I can win any Mexican can reach his goals, in fact, better than me."
alexandra.mendoza@sandiegored.com
