In addition to a political crisis, Venezuela has experienced eight consecutive years of recession which has led to the emigration of more than 5 million people and plunged the country into an economic abyss where four out of five families live in poverty.

In this context, aid for athletes and investments in sport have melted away.

But tomorrow's victories are being prepared today.

Even Olympic fencing champion Ruben Limardo, gold medalist in London in 2012, had to combine his training for a few months in Poland, where he lives, with a job as a bicycle delivery boy.

A fortiori, the young Venezuelan shoots like Montes de Oca, the swimmer Maria Yegres or the weightlifter Kerlys Montilla must also fight hard to hope to follow in the footsteps of the jumper Yulimar Rojas, Olympic champion in Tokyo and world record holder.

In April, Montes de Oca raised his arms in celebration after clearing 5 meters during training at a military installation in Caracas.

He exults and kisses his father, who throws at him: "You see that you can do it! Come on!".

A few weeks later, he won gold at the South American Youth Games in Rosario (Argentina) with 5.06 meters.

On June 17, he pushed the bar a little higher again, clearing 5m11 at the national under-20 championships.

Only the Pole Michal Gawenda (5.40), the Swiss Valentin Imsand (5.30) and Justin Fournier (5.15), the German Hendrik Müller (5.20) and the Czech Ladislav Sedlacek (5.20) does better in the under 18s.

He started pole vaulting at 13 and hopes to follow the example of his idol, the Swede Armand Duplantis, Olympic champion in Tokyo and world record holder (6m20) who already crossed 5m30 at 15 years old.

"We are always looking for a way to move forward," Montes de Oca, who trains with a few old poles in his hometown of Barquisimeto, some 360 ​​kilometers west of Caracas, told AFP.

He says he hopes to be able to improve his performance even further with newer equipment.

Immigrated to Spain

Montes de Oca has improved his records by 21cm since August last year but he still needs to improve if he wants to do anything other than make up the numbers in Paris.

Projections put him among the potential candidates for the podium in 2028.

Young Venezuelan pole vaulter Ricardo Montes de Oca training in Caracas, April 28, 2022 Yuri CORTEZ AFP / Archives

Sixteen-year-old all-around swimmer Maria Yegres, who crushed the local national games by winning ten gold medals, could be in a waterway leading to Olympic finals.

The prodigy returned with four medals including a gold (800m freestyle) from the 2021 Junior Pan American Games in Cali-Valle del Cauca (Colombia) but, crisis forced, she and her family emigrated to Spain in 2014.

"I've done times that we didn't even plan on doing," she said, confident of being surprised by her progress.

Weightlifter Kerlys Montilla, 17, shone in the 45 kg category at the Under-17 World Championships in Leon, Mexico, with gold in the snatch (71 kg), bronze in the shoulder-jerk (82 kg) and silver in total (153 kg).

Weightlifting, which requires few means, had given good results in Venezuela at the Tokyo Games, with two silver medals (Keydomar Vallenilla and Julio Mayora).

Venezuelan Maria Victoria Yegres (left) with competitors Michaela Mattes and Anna Auld prepare for the 1500m freestyle contested in Sarasota, Florida on November 14, 2020 Julio Aguilar Getty/AFP/Archives

If the young people do not yet have the fame of Rojas or Limardo, "They are the runway. They say to everyone: + Here we are! +", estimates Maria Soto, elected president of the Venezuelan Olympic Committee (COV ) in May.

“We have a lot of hope,” says Ms. Soto.

Economic problems are "always difficult. It is a reality (...), however, we direct the resources we have towards our athletes", assures the former Olympic softball player.

© 2022 AFP