QCOSTARICA – Although historically Tico cycling has transcended more on MTB and BMX, on the track, there are also important talents, such as Abigail Recio, who is number two in the world in the U-23 category of the international ranking.
In that category, she is the best in America.
She is almost 21 years old and is the current elite national track cycling champion.
Seeing her name in the ranks of 300, she can’t hide her excitement.
“It is great news because also, at the level of America I am the number 1 of the ranking in Sub 23, while in the elite we are in sixth position. Without a doubt it is a great achievement ”, mentioned Recio, who on the world’s elite list appears in 20th.
Many episodes of sacrifices, falls, scrapes and bruises pass through her mind, but she was mainly marked by being away from her family.
At the age of 17, she decided to leave her native Coronado for Mexico to improve the track cycling events in all aspects.
“They were four years of training in Baja California. Far from home in a place where the temperature was always around 40 degrees, there I was spending my youth, training twice a day and trying to beat the thousandth clock. Seeing my name as the best ranked in the world is a sign that every effort has its reward,” said Recio.
But the good news for Abigail does not end there, because this week the Costa Rican Cycling Federation (Fecoci) confirmed her endorsement to train with the Colombian track team in the city of Medellín.
“In a couple of days sports life took an unexpected turn. I’m going to Colombia, to the cradle where the best track cyclists are born. I am very grateful to the coach of the Colombian National Team, Professor John Jaime, who after my participation in the Pan-American Championship in Cochabamba (Bolivia) we talked about the possibility of going to train under his tutelage,” she stressed.
In addition, she mentioned her joy for representing Costa Rica in the first Junior Pan American Games, which will be in Cali, Colombia, from November 25 to December 5, 2021.
“I am going to prepare as well as possible, I want to finish the Junior Pan American Games in Cali improving my personal records, giving everything to get to an important position taking advantage of now that I will be training in Medellín,” said Abigail.
Life takes many turns, many more than she imagined.
She was 15 years old and did not know how to ride a bicycle, but her father, Alberto Recio, took her to a street near her house, put her on a mountain bike, put his hand on her back and said: ‘Just pedal and don’t look back. ‘
A week later, Abigail went to the national velodrome located in Parque La Paz and right there, she got on a track bike.
“I wanted to compete without knowing how to ride a bike. It took me a week to learn thanks to my dad who also ran laps to Costa Rica and was selected in the national team. I think that’s where the desire to learn to ride a bike comes from. I was very daring, a few months later I was representing Costa Rica in a Pan American Track and then in 2020 I won a competition in Guadalajara, Mexico,” recalled the national cyclist.
In the Cali 2021 Junior Pan American Games, in the track event, the Costa Rican will be competing with cyclists from Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, and Jamaica.
The first Cali 2021 Junior Pan American Games will have the participation of 3,500 athletes from the 41 member countries of Panam Sports, and there will be a total of 27 sports, including BMX, Mountain, Road and Track Cycling.
“Everything was so fast, knowing that 5 years ago I did not even know how to ride a bicycle and today I am number 2 in the world ranking and first in America in the Under 23 category … I can’t believe it!” She stressed with emotion.
