Swimmer from San Juan wins gold

Tar Heel swim staff member Xavier Ruiz earned Puerto Rico’s first gold medal on the Junior Pan American video games.

When the COVID-19 pandemic closed the swimming pools in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for six months, aggressive swimmer Xavier Ruiz and his father arrange do-it-yourself lane strains in a river so he might hold coaching.

That’s willpower.

This summer time, the sophomore swim staff member and train and sport science main earned Puerto Rico’s first gold medal on the Junior Pan American Games, setting a Junior Pan Am file within the 100-meter breaststroke. Ruiz stated he was excited to symbolize Puerto Rico and set an instance for younger swimmers throughout Latin America.

“Even if you come from those countries and you have to practice alone or something, do whatever it takes to make it,” Ruiz stated. “It’s worth it at the end.”

Path to UNC

Ruiz took his first swimming lesson at 4 and was 6 earlier than he discovered to swim. But as soon as he bought the cling of it, he by no means needed to depart the water.

“I could be at the beach for a whole weekend,” Ruiz stated. “No food, no anything, just at the beach. I just love being in the water.”

Swimming competitively however with out a highschool staff, Ruiz constructed his personal construction. His self-discipline caught the eye of Javier Sossa, the UNC affiliate head coach on the time, although he wasn’t positive Ruiz was quick sufficient.

When Ruiz improved the subsequent yr, Sossa reached out, impressed by his velocity and his story.

“For me, as a Latin American, I think it was knowing what he has done in Puerto Rico without all the resources that other kids might have here in the U.S.,” Sossa stated.

Ruiz instantly felt a connection to this system. After his third go to to Chapel Hill, he canceled his journeys to different colleges.

Settling into his staff

Ruiz needed to alter to the Tar Heel staff setting. “When you come here, you need to do everything as a group and as a team,” Ruiz stated. “That had a big impact on me.”

Head coach Mark Gangloff stated that the shift pushed Ruiz to thrive and helped the staff.

“He wants to beat everybody in practice, which is great and perfect for the other people in the pool, because no one wants to lose,” Gangloff stated. “So ultimately, he’s there elevating our training environment.”

Ruiz’s aggressive nature stood out to his suitemate Adam Maraana, a world scholar from Israel. “He’s just a racer,” stated Maraana. “He doesn’t care if it’s not his stroke, if it’s his weak event. No matter what it is, he just goes. He’s all in for what he’s doing.”

The two bonded over adjusting to tradition and life at Carolina, helped by Ruiz’s humorousness.

“Having someone like that just making you laugh at the hard moments or who tells you to focus when you have to, it’s just a gift,” Maraana stated. “I want I had that capability to simply be all fluffy and giggle earlier than my race, after which simply in a single single second be like the most effective swimmer on Earth.

Making historical past for his nation

When Ruiz introduced dwelling the gold for Puerto Rico, his success introduced pleasure and delight to his mother and father, his hometown and different swimmers.

“We don’t get the chance to see too many Hispanic swimmers coming to college swimming in the NCAA, so I always tell the kids to give it a chance,” Ruiz stated.

Ruiz continues to coach with the identical willpower that introduced him to Carolina.

“I want him to be able to represent Puerto Rico in the Olympics,” Gangloff stated. “Ultimately, that’s the pinnacle of our sport.”

By Jessica Baugh, GoHeels.com