Paris 2024: Peru’s Pilar Jauregui Cancino targets first Paralympic medal

Pilar Jauregui Cancino decided to become a Paralympian after watching the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Jauregui was “surprised” to see different sports showcased at the Games, and she wanted to try all of them. 

She discovered Para badminton three years later and made her Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020 when the sport was included in the programme for the first time. With less than 200 days to go until Paris 2024, the Peruvian athlete, who is currently the world No. 2 in the women’s singles WH2 rankings, shares her journey in the sport as she aims to win her first Paralympic medal.

How did you become interested in Para sports?

I went with my mother to watch a marathon in Lima, Peru, and saw a boy taking part in an athletics chair with three wheels. He caught our attention. My mum went to the finish line to ask him for information. He showed us the wheelchair, explained how it worked and invited me to try wheelchair tennis.

When did you decide to become a full-time athlete?

In 2012, I watched the Paralympic Games on YouTube. I was surprised by all the sports there were: wheelchair rugby, Para swimming, wheelchair tennis. I was crazy about it, watched all of it and wanted to do all of the sports. At that moment, I knew I wanted to be an athlete, I just didn’t know in which sport or how high I would reach.

How did you discover Para badminton?

At the 2014 Para South American Games in Santiago, Chile, I met (Peruvian Para badminton player) Pedro Pablo de Vinatea. He was in Santiago for swimming and I went to play tennis. 

At the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games, I played wheelchair basketball and we missed qualifying for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games by one point against Argentina. That is when Pedro invited me to try Para badminton.

Where was your first Para badminton competition?

In 2015, Peru hosted its first international competition. Pedro had told me that several Brazilian Parapan American champions would be there. I said, “I want to play them.” I played against one of them and won the whole tournament. I got a gold medal.

Everyone around me said, “Pilar, you have to stay here (in Para badminton) because this is your sport.” But I did not like badminton – I was much more into wheelchair basketball and tennis. But Pedro told me that there would be strong players from Brazil at the Parapan American Games in Medellin, Colombia, in 2016. I started training more. We went to the competition in Medellin, and I got the gold medal. 

What was your motivation to become a better Para badminton player?

At the end of the Parapan American Games, I saw players from Japan and a few European countries. My game was nothing compared to theirs; their technique, how they moved, and their hits. I was surprised and said, “I want to be better than them. I want to train harder.”

You competed at the 2017 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships in Ulsan, Republic of Korea. How was this experience?

I saw all the Asian players. They were incredible and I was surprised. It seemed like a new sport. After that, I dreamed a lot about winning a medal in Lima 2019 (Parapan American Games) and started preparing even harder.

Four years later, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, you finished in the group stage. How was your experience of competing at the Games for the first time?

I had been dreaming of being at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, but it went badly for me and for the whole group. We fought really hard to qualify, and then I don’t know what happened.

I am very competitive, and I don’t like losing. I have learned a lot since Tokyo. Before Tokyo, I was nervous and afraid of losing. After what happened, I am having more fun when I play.

What are your expectations for Paris 2024?

I am very, very focused on Paris 2024. I want revenge. I want a podium finish in Paris. I am going to fight for that. I know it’s going to be very tough because Asian players are very strong, so we have increased the workload.

Every morning, I wake up thinking ‘Paris, Paris, Paris’. Some mornings I wake up with so much pain in my arms because I train so hard, that I’ve been thinking to myself, ‘you have already lost your legs, you cannot be without arms too’. But I still go to train. This shows how dedicated I am.

What does it mean for you to increase visibility of Para sport in Peru? Do you see yourself as a role model for younger people?

Beyond the medals and the results, there has been growth as a society and people. That has meant much more to me. I don’t remember all the medals I have. It excites me much more when I see a ramp in a street that did not have one.

Many people have written to me and I have always been there. I am sometimes available to motivate them. There are three or four kids who are now competing with me in Para badminton, who used to play at my basketball team. That fills me up with pride.