“I have no limits…and so I help others to feel the same.” Catalina has repeatedly demonstrated that she has no limits. She has competed in tennis in several national and international competitions, winning two gold medals in tennis at Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles, USA in 2015. She is a public speaker and has been invited to speak with deputies at a National Legislative Assembly about the importance of inclusion. She is a Health Messenger, she supports her teammates to be stronger and healthier athletes.
Catalina is from San Jose, Costa Rica. She has been a Special Olympics athlete for more than 10 years. As a Health Messenger, Catalina has made incredible impacts on her community. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Catalina was worried when people with disabilities were not in the priority groups for vaccination. She decided to take action and wrote to Roman Macaya, the President of the Costa Rica Social Security Fund, to describe her concerns. She was invited to Mr. Macaya’s office where she formally presented her opinion. Soon after, people with disabilities were included in the priority vaccination group. When she competed in the Classic Sun and Sand Beach Run she requested the prize be a wheelchair, which she then donated to another Special Olympics athlete.
Catalina’s good work has been recognized through sponsors and supporters, including Boston Scientific and the Regen Premium Water Company, which is now sponsoring her as she trains for Special Olympics World Games, Berlin 2023.
Catalina is very proud of her work as a Health Messenger and continues to push for change.
Health Messengers 2023
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Boniface Kimeu
Special Olympics Kenya -
Joyce Ramabusa
Special Olympics South Africa -
Ndèye Rokhaya Gaye
Special Olympics Senegal -
Juliwati Japi
Special Olympics Indonesia -
Nguyen Ngoc Bao Tran
Special Olympics Vietnam -
Li Yan Ho
Special Olympics Hong Kong -
Tina Sirui Jia
Special Olympics China -
Janka Weber
Special Olympics Germany -
Michaela Duchova
Special Olympics Slovakia -
Peter Ispold
Special Olympics Slovakia -
Reynaldo Montova
Special Olympics Germany -
Catalina Cervantes Gamboa
Special Olympics Costa Rica -
Erika Maradiaga Soler
Special Olympics Honduras -
Gabriela Patricia Velásquez Rodríguez
Special Olympics El Salvador -
Paavlena Madhivana
Special Olympics Arizona -
Travis Sherrer
Special Olympics Alaska -
Katherine Elizabeth Little
Special Olympics British Columbia
