Amalia Ortuño – WheelWOD World Champion and Wodapalooza Winner

The 34-year old-athlete is WheelWOD’s World Champion in her category. Equivalent to the CrossFit Games for adaptive athletes, Amalia took the top spot after winning four out of the seven events.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5DXJ_3nheu/

More recently, Amalia also won the Adaptive Rx Seated division at Wodapalooza, where she competed against seven other women and won four of the seven workouts, and was a runner up in the other three.

Box Latino Magazine had the pleasure to talk with this impressive athlete, below the full interview:

Who is Amalia Ortuño?

I’m 34-years-old and am an interior designer. Nowadays I also practise adaptive CrossFit.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8Ok6hEHEfg/

Tell us a little about your disability.

I’ve got a disease called evolutionary hip dysplasia, which is a progressive degenerative condition.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7Qx-WOndpd/

What has your sporting life been like?

I was a ballerina and a gymnast at a young age, I also practised swimming and athletics. After that I moved on to triathlons and I’m now fully committed to adaptive CrossFit.

What’s your training as a CrossFit athlete like?

My preparations involve single CrossFit sessions some days. Other days I do two or three session, and combine them with swimming and wheelchair sessions. I increase loads according to competition dates and have clear goals.

Related: Víctor Assaf: The Face of Adaptive CrossFit in Latin America

What was your experience like at Wodapalooza?

That was an incredible and challenging experience. It allowed me to meet and share with great people and outstanding athletes.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B88GVJvHE6k/

What are your plans for 2020?

Next up I’m competing at FitLand in Colombia. It’s a competition that excites me a lot, as it leaves a positive message about inclusion and perspective, as we compete side by side against able-bodies athletes.

In June I’ve got to defend my title at the WheelWOD Games in Minnesota.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5frhUdHS-q/

And in November I’ve got the Copa Independencia in Costa Rica, another competition which opened an adaptive division in 2019.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7dpviunG8n/

To finish off, Amalia asked the Latin American community to always be persevering, follow their dreams no matter how high they might be and, most importantly, to live life to the fullest.

–

A version of this article was originally published in Spanish by Box Latino Magazine, a publication covering athletes, coaches and events in the Latin American region. The original article was written by Nicolás Garzón, the BOXROX version translated by Caro Kyllmann. You can find the original version here.

BOXROX has partnered with Box Latino Magazine to grow the coverage of the Latino CrossFit community. If you’re a Spanish speaking reader or interested in knowing more about the scene in Latin America consider giving them a follow @boxlatinomagazine.