Three triumphs in one day gave Paulina Vega the tickets for the Tokyo Olympic Games, which will be held during July and August this year.  The national table tennis specialist was one of the favourites to get a slot for the rings event and she proved it in the competition.  In the decisive match for the qualification, the athlete from Team Chile brought out all her talent and defeated Mexican Yadira Silva with a score of 4-2.

“I gave it my best, I’m very happy, we had an amazing training in Germany. I’m filled with joy, I dedicate this to all of Chile”, she excitedly declared after achieving the qualification.

Paulina, 37 years old, started training at six, following the role model of her older brothers.  At seven she won her first national championship, where she got gold medals in singles, doubles and teams.  At thirteen, she moved to Santiago, and since fifteen she has been a part of the adult national team, where she has competed in several grand events of the Olympic circuit and has even been the South American champion.
With this qualification, Paulina secured the tickets to her second Olympic Games, since she competed in Women’s Doubles in Athens 2004, 17 years ago.  Hence, Team Chile adds, so far, 39 athletes to compete in Tokyo.