Iona’s Isabela Aponte set to compete for gold in luge at Winter Youth Olympics

With the lighting of the torch, the Winter Youth Olympic Games are officially underway. The opening ceremony was held early Friday morning in Gangwon, South Korea with each nation waving their flag down the runway. Iona’s Isabela Aponte made it! She walked down the runway proudly waving the Puerto Rican flag.

“I’m so glad that I can be here,” Aponte said. “Like the hard work has you know paid off. And I’ve gotten that feeling here.”

When WINK News first met Isabela in May, this was the dream the 16-year-old set out to achieve. She said she wanted to make it to the Winter Youth Olympics to become the first female to represent Puerto Rico in luge.

“I’m the only person here in the village you know wearing these wearing the flag and stuff,” Aponte said. “So it’s really exciting that I’m grateful I’m able to do that.”

Aponte has been in South Korea the past week to train and get familiar with the track.

“We only have eight pre-race runs typically we get more,” Aponte said. “So having to you know learn the lines and get used to this track in eight runs is kind of difficult. But it’s something all athletes are you know having to do. So we’re all kind of on the same boat here. But I’ve been learning so many new things with each run and making sure each run really counts.”

Going into the games, Aponte said her mindset is, “it feels like any other race. I’m confident in my lines that the coaches have given me. And I’m ready to execute it on the track.”