Puerto Rican T-shirt Verónica Toro makes history by qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics

Puerto Rican Verónica Toro made history last Friday by being the first woman in the yard in the rowing discipline to qualify for the Olympic Games.

The news was brought to the attention of the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee on its social networks.

Toro took part in the pre-Olympic match that started exactly this Friday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Toro previously represented Puerto Rico at the 2018 Barranquilla Central American and Caribbean Games, finishing fifth in the final of the short paddle pairing event. He also reached the final of the same modality at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru in 2019, finishing in sixth place.

Sports historian Carlos Uriarte stressed that Toro classified Tokyo on arrival placed fifth in the single rowing event in Rio, making her the first representative of Puerto Rican rowing in an Olympics since 1988 with Juan Félix. She also becomes the first woman in this sport.

As of this writing, Puerto Rico has 23 listed athletes, 18 of which are women, including the 12 members of the Women’s National Basketball Team, which also made history by securing its first Olympic ticket.

Adriana Díaz (table tennis); Wesley Vázquez, Andrés Arroyo and Ryan Sánchez (athletics, 800 meters); Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (track and field, 100m hurdles); Enrique “Quique” Figueroa and Gretchen Ortiz (candles); Lauren Billys (equestrian with her copy Purdy); Franklin Gómez (fight); Victoria Stambaugh (taekwondo); and the 12 members of the women’s basketball team were the 22 previously classified Puerto Ricans, in which Toro now participates.