A young table tennis player from the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico is setting her sights on Olympic success in Paris, fueled by her own journey from a converted swimming pool to the world stage, and inspiring a new generation of players in her homeland.
Adriana Diaz, a multiple Pan-American Games gold medalist, has become a beacon of hope and pride for Puerto Rican sports, having started her table tennis journey at the age of four.
Adriana Diaz's journey to the top of her sport career began at a modest table tennis center housed in a former town swimming pool in Utuado, in central Puerto Rico. Despite her diminutive stature as a young child, Diaz's passion for the game was ignited as she started hitting balls against the wall.
"I started playing on the wall. And because I was very short, I couldn't get like to the table. So I started playing on the wall with my sisters," said Adriana.
Her father Bladimir Diaz served as her coach at the center.
"When I went to teach a practice session, Adriana would cry because she wanted to come with me, but I couldn't bring her with me because I was teaching many people," said Bladimir Diaz, Adriana's father.
Realizing Adriana needed to learn from the world's best, the family sent the young prodigy to China for intensive training when she was just seven years old. She returned to the Asian table tennis powerhouse annually for the next eight years, honing her skills against top junior players.
"I was practicing with a lot of little girls also my same age, and they were a lot better than me. They were very good. So, I wanted to get better just to be at their same level. And right after that, I think I fell in love with China really," said Adriana.
Now 23 years old, Diaz has already competed at two Olympics, and ahead of the Paris Games, she had relocated to Japan to train full-time with a Chinese coach, with the aim of breaking into the world's top 10 players.
Regardless of her performance in Paris, Adriana remains a shining star in Puerto Rican table tennis, inspiring young athletes like Ryan Cuadro Perez, who found his passion for the sport after watching her compete.
"I started playing table tennis because I saw Adriana in one competition. I saw her playing. I saw the skills. I saw the sport. And then I started playing and I fell in love in this sport," Ryan.
Ricardo Torres, a sports anchor and reporter with Telemundo in Puerto Rico, highlighted Adriana's impact on the sport.
"She has changed everything about table tennis and Puerto Rico. Now, it is considered one of the main sports in the area. Adriana has been the main reason why table tennis has become a main sport. Now, all kids want to play table tennis like Adriana Diaz,” said Ricardo Torres, also an anchor and reporter of Puerto Rico Sports.
Adriana's focus is now firmly set on the Paris Olympics, where she aims to become the first Puerto Rican to win a table tennis medal.
"I want to play and try to get a medal. It's very hard. I think every tournament it's very hard. But I like my chances. I feel like right now I've improved a lot. And I just need to play my best," said the young table tennis player.
Regardless of the Paris outcome, Adriana's journey has already inspired countless individuals in Puerto Rico to pursue their dreams with determination and passion.
Puerto Rican table tennis star aims for Olympic glory in Paris
