Luciana Alvarado

Luciana Alvarado
Full nameLuciana Alvarado Reid
Nickname(s)Luci
Born (2002-09-16) 16 September 2002 (age 22)
San José, Costa Rica
Height1.59 m (5 ft 3 in)
Gymnastics career
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
Country represented Costa Rica
College teamCentral Michigan Chippewas[1]
LevelSenior International Elite
ClubGym Stars Costa Rica
Head coach(es)Sherlly Reid
Assistant coach(es)Mariana Sanchez Reid
Medal record
Artistic gymnastics
Representing  Costa Rica
Pan American Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 Rio de Janeiro Balance Beam
Silver medal – second place 2021 Rio de Janeiro All-Around

Luciana Alvarado Reid (born 16 September 2002) is a Costa Rican artistic gymnast who represented her country at the 2019 World Championships and the 2019 Pan American Games.[2][3][4] She took the silver medal in the all-around at the 2021 Pan American Championships, earning a continental berth for the 2020 Summer Olympics, and also became the Pan American champion on the balance beam. She is the first Costa Rican gymnast to qualify for the Olympics.[5][6]

Personal life

Alvarado was born on 16 September 2002 in San José, Costa Rica. She took up gymnastics at age two, and is coached by her mother, Sherlly Reid, who is a gym owner and former gymnast. Her sisters were also involved in gymnastics. Her middle sister, Mariana Sanchez Reid, is a former Costa Rica national team member.[7][8][9]

Career

Junior

Alvarado competed at the 2016 Pacific Rim Championships, placing 10th in the all-around and 9th with the Costa Rican team. She also qualified to the uneven bars final, but struggled in the final, finishing eighth.[10] Later that year, Alvarado competed at the Pan American Championships, placing 10th in the all-around, fifth on the uneven bars and eighth on the balance beam, also contributing to the Costa Rican team's fifth-place finish. In June 2017, Alvarado competed at the Central American Sports Festival, placing fourth in the all-around and taking the silver medal on the uneven bars.[3]

Senior

Alvarado turned senior in 2018. She competed vault, beam and floor at the 2018 Pacific Rim Championships, and bars and beam at the Central American and Caribbean Games, but did not reach the finals. She made her senior debut in the all-around at the 2018 Pan American Championships, placing 18th.[3]

In 2019, Alvarado competed vault and beam at the FIT Challenge in Belgium, finishing 12th with the Costa Rican team. She represented Costa Rica at the 2019 Pan American Games, placing 13th in the all-around final. Alvarado made her World Championship debut at the 2019 World Championships. She placed 104th in the all-around during qualifications, missing out on an Olympic berth due to a fall.[11]

At the 2021 Pan American Championships, Alvarado scored a 50.833, taking the bronze medal in the all-around behind Rebeca Andrade of Brazil and Martina Dominici of Argentina. However, Dominici was later disqualified after she had tested positive for a banned substance, making Alvarado the all-around silver medalist.[12] Alvarado also qualified to the balance beam final, where she went on to win the gold medal. Based on the result of the all-around, she earned a continental quota spot to the Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first Costa Rican gymnast to qualify for an Olympic Games.[13][14][3]

At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Alvarado placed 51st in the all-around during qualifications with a score of 51.306, and did not advance to the final.[15] During the competition, Alvarado incorporated a tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement into her floor exercise choreography by taking the knee and raising her fist towards the sky.[16][17][18]

Collegiate career

Alvarado currently competes for Central Michigan University.[19][20]

Competitive history

Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
Junior
2016 Pacific Rim Championships 9 10 8
Pan American Championships 5 10 5 8
2017 Central American Sports Festival 4 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Senior
2018
Pan American Championships 18
2019 FIT Challenge 12
Pan American Games 13
World Championships 104
2021
Pan American Championships 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Olympic Games 51

References

  1. ^ "After Making Olympic History for Costa Rica, Luciana Alvarado Is Ready for Next Chapter at Central Michigan". College Gym News. June 8, 2022.
  2. ^ "ALVARADO Luciana - FIG Athlete Profile". International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). September 18, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d "Luciana Alvarado competition results". The Gymternet. 12 February 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  4. ^ "Luciana Alvarado athlete profile - Lima 2019". Lima 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  5. ^ "Gimnasta Luciana Alvarado clasifica a Juegos Olímpicos de Tokio". Multimedios Costa Rica (in Spanish). June 5, 2021.
  6. ^ "Luciana Alvarado será la primera tica en participar en los Juegos Olímpicos en Gimnasia Artística". La Republica (in Spanish). June 5, 2021.
  7. ^ "Madre e hija consiguen proeza: Luciana Alvarado competirá en la gimnasia de los Juegos Olímpicos". La Nación (in Spanish). June 6, 2021.
  8. ^ "Luciana Alvarado Reid representará al país en Tokio en gimnasia artística". Teletica (in Spanish). June 5, 2021.
  9. ^ "Luciana Alvarado Tokyo 2020 Athlete Profile". Olympics.com. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  10. ^ "2016 Pacific Rim Championships Results". The Gymternet. April 10, 2016.
  11. ^ "Andrade and Alvarado Win Olympic Berths at Pan Ams". The Gymternet. June 10, 2021.
  12. ^ "Anti-doping – An Argentinian gymnast suspended for three years". International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). 2 September 2021.
  13. ^ "Histórica clasificación de la Gimnasia Artística a los Juegos Olímpicos". Costa Rican Olympic Committee (in Spanish). Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  14. ^ "For The First Time, a Tica Qualifies For The Olympics In Artistic Gymnastics: Luciana Alvarado Will Go to Tokyo". The Costa Rica News. June 8, 2021.
  15. ^ "Artistic Gymnastics - Women's All-Around Qualification Results" (PDF). Olympics.com. 25 July 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  16. ^ "Costa Rican gymnast Luciana Alvarado ends Olympics floor routine with tribute to Black Lives Matter". CBS News. 25 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Costa Rican gymnast Luciana Alvarado concludes floor routine with demonstration". NBC. 25 July 2021.
  18. ^ "Olympic Gymnast Luciana Alvarado Included a Black Lives Matter Tribute in Her Floor Routine". Teen Vogue. 28 July 2021.
  19. ^ "Luciana Alvarado-Reid - Gymnastics". Central Michigan University Athletics. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  20. ^ Ilacqua, Talitha (2022-06-08). "After Making Olympic History for Costa Rica, Luciana Alvarado Is Ready for Next Chapter at Central Michigan". College Gym News. Retrieved 2024-04-14.