In a conversation with SportsIn, Peruvian swimmer Alexia Sotomayor reflected on her performance at the Ayacucho–Lima 2025 Bolivarian Games, where she won a silver medal in the 200-metre backstroke and another three bronze medals in front of the home crowd in Peru. For the athlete, the experience carried a special meaning after several years living and training abroad, currently at the University of Arizona in the United States.

Asked about the emotion of seeing the medals around her neck, Sotomayor emphasised what it meant to compete in front of her people. “I was really happy. It is always beautiful to represent Peru, and what better way than doing it at home with my family and friends by my side. It means so much and, as I live abroad for training and studies, coming home and bringing medals back means a lot,” she said.

A talent that emerged early

Alexia Sotomayor’s journey began at a very young age. She broke her first national record at eleven and, by twelve, was already part of youth national teams competing at South American and Pan American events. Before turning fifteen she had accumulated more than one hundred registered marks, establishing herself as one of Peru’s most promising swimmers.

The athlete recalled the most demanding part of the process. “The hardest part was definitely leaving home. I left my house at fifteen to keep pursuing my dream, improving and chasing my goals in sport,” she explained. Sotomayor highlighted that distance, academic pressure and continuous training have defined her path. “Leaving home at such a young age is tough, but it gives you results. Bringing medals back and seeing my dreams closer every day means a lot and many sacrifices.”

A growing reference for Peruvian swimming

Beyond her sporting progress, Alexia Sotomayor became the first Peruvian to be appointed to the World Aquatics Athletes’ Committee, a milestone that enhances her international visibility and positions her as a reference for the next generation. Her role within this global structure links her competitive experience with institutional representation in aquatic sport.

With a career shaped by results, international training and a growing leadership role, Sotomayor enters the next Olympic cycle with ambition. Her goal is to consolidate herself in major international events and move closer to the objective she has repeated since her early competitive years: competing at the Los Angeles Olympic Games, where she hopes to represent Peru with a strong and developing team.