“The best thing badminton has given me are opportunities. Now I see it as a lifestyle.”
Mexican Haramara Gaitan takes advantage of every new opportunity the sport offers her, dedicating herself to training while juggling a successful career.
“I’m the legal director of a company. I got the job thanks to badminton and they allow me some flexibility when I travel to tournaments, and I continue to work remotely,” says the 2018 Pan Am Championships women’s singles bronze medallist.
Being one of her region’s top athletes, the 26-year-old plans to continue investing in badminton so that more people get to enjoy the openings she has.
“If you become renowned, you can make a living out of sports. Although the lawyer job is more stable, investing in badminton will provide opportunities for more people to live what I am living. I like the lifestyle I lead and if I can share it with more people, it’s much better.”
On a competitive level, the world No.83 has achieved what many athletes dream of, competing in the Olympic Games. Her debut at Tokyo 2020 saw her pick up valuable experience in the two group defeats to Kim Ga Eun and Yeo Jia Min.
“I see going to the Olympics as a platform, it’s not the final goal, but it encourages you to have other projects and dreams. I still want to increase my level, and if that level leads me to the HSBC BWF World Tour, it’s good,” she says.
“For now, I want a better world ranking, to keep the Paris 2024 journey calmer than the one I had for Tokyo 2020. That’s the main goal so everything else must be adapted to it.”
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