Katherin Ruiz and Keyla Pelen co-captained Guatemala at a newly inaugurated international football event to inspire footballers with or without intellectual disabilities. Both broke the barriers after returning to women’s football despite the social outlook for the gender towards the game.
The event began on July 31, 2022, and will conclude on August 06, 2022. Athletes have already landed in the city of Detroit to participate in the event – The Unified Cup.
Guatemala co-captains prove that the tournament can power everyone to bring their specials to the venue and represent their regions. Every team stands a chance to win the title, with only one emerging as the winner.
A captain takes the team forward, crafts strategies, and motivates the team. With two captains handling their position, the task becomes much more effective. Katherin Ruiz and Keyla Pelen understand their roles and commit to taking the team forward with pride.
However, both have a story that dates back to their life. The same is responsible for both bonding over the sport and coming together for a much-awaited event in their lives.
Katherin Ruiz had football in her life since her early years as her father and brother actively played the sport. The television mostly had the game on the screen to further inspire Katherin Ruiz to take it up and leave her mark across the globe.
What came as a hurdle was her gender, as the male-dominated league expressed its hesitation in accepting a woman coming forward to prove her power on the field.
That never stopped her from injecting the sport into her life; continuing to love the game, she took the hard decision of dropping out from the sport.
My family always played soccer, but I was told to like different things, said Katherin Ruiz.
She made her come back after her father backed her to go ahead in the game. Katherin Ruiz reached a spot where she broke the stereotype of girls either playing badly or going straight to the bench.
It was her sheer determination that made her the brand she is today. Katherin added that kids were never the problem, and it was always the adults who would comment on a player for being a girl.
Special Olympics has given her the space she deserves, and the event is expected to do the same for everyone like her across the globe. This has increased the level of excitement among the sports bettors. Click here and start betting on some of the best football betting sites today!
The Unified Cup has moved to a new location, but it continues to inspire international footballers with and without intellectual disabilities.
Katherin Ruiz and Keyla Pelen are now focusing on making their team victorious in their first Unified Cup. It is not going to be an easy task, but sports is meant to challenge all teams, and that is precisely where the beauty of a game lies.
Katherin Ruiz said that it was an honor to represent Guatemala and expressed her excitement about meeting more people and working as a group.
