Daniela Velasco

Daniela Eugenia Velasco Maldonado (born 24 August 1995) is a Mexican Paralympic athlete who was part of the Mexican delegation at the 2016 Summer Paralympics.^[1] She was a bronze medalist in the 400 meters dash of the T12 category at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.^[2][3][4] She was close to being a medalist in the 1500 meters of Rio 2016 but was then disqualified.^[5]

Daniela Velasco

Personal information
Full name	Daniela Eugenia Velasco Maldonado
Nationality	Mexico
Born	(1995-08-24) 24 August 1995 (age 29) Mexico City
Education	Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Sport
Disability class	T12
Event	1500 meters & 400 meters
Club	Aldebaran Track and Field México
Coached by	Fabricio Chamor
Medal record Paralympic athletics Representing  Mexico Paralympic Games 2012 London 400m T12 Parapan American Games 2015 Toronto 800m T12 2011 Guadalajara 400m T12 2015 Toronto 400m T12 2023 Santiago 1500m T13 2011 Guadalajara 100m T12 2011 Guadalajara 200m T12

Personal life

As a child she suffered the loss of an eye and rehabilitated at the National Institute for Rehabilitation of Blind and Visually Impaired Children of Mexico. Her start in athletics was motivated by Ana Gabriela Guevara, whom she watched competing in the 2004 Summer Olympics, so she looked for opportunities to practice adaptive sports in the Mexican Paralympic Center.

She is a student of the National Preparatory School of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Her coach is Fabricio Chamor and her guide is Gabriel Urbina.

Sports career

Velasco won two bronze medals and one silver medal at the 2011 Parapan American Games, in the 100, 200 and 400-meters dash, respectively.^[3] At the 2012 Summer Paralympics, she competed in the 400 meters dash in the T12 category, with her guide Jose Fuentes, obtaining the bronze medal with a time of 58.51.^[2] In the 2015 Parapan American Games, she achieved the gold medal in the 800 meters T12 category with a 2:16.89 run time, which represented an American record.