I was born and raised in the countryside with my parents. That's why I constantly felt the need to travel several kilometers to do the errands that they asked me, with the peculiarity that I had to do it running to return quickly to the house where I lived, since my mom always told me not to take long. With time I got used to this type of exercise, this was developing my physical resistance and strengthening my muscles little by little. That was my first training without realizing it. The time passed and I had to move to the city where my sisters were, to be able to study. That's where I had my first experience in taekwondo, when I met who was my first coach, who realized my innate conditions for this sport and proposed to practice it, which I immediately agreed to because I liked the martial arts that I saw in the movies where Bruce Lee appeared. I really fell in love with this discipline that is taekwondo and I took it very seriously.When this happened I was already 21 years old that is to say I had passed the stage of childhood and youth, which did not allow me to participate in the youth events that came to be the previous steps before being able to have the opportunity to represent the country in international events, something that did not interfere with my dream of being, an outstanding athlete.

Six months after I started practicing taekwondo, I had my first experience in a national event, I got a gold medal, and at nine months I had my first invitation to participate in an International Taekwondo Triangular where Puerto Rico, USA and Venezuela participated, Although I still had no competitive experience, I managed to get a silver medal, because nothing less had to compete with the US World Champion, which I did not know, after that, my coach urged me to prepare for the opportunity to participate in a qualifying event to integrate the national team, so I started training with that objective and it happened as expected; a year and a half ago, I became the first athlete to be named in the national Taekwondo team of Venezuela, without going through the children's and youth events.

In this way I represented my country for 11 years with excellent results, that is, I had not practiced this sport before, I started at 21 years old and at twenty-three years old among the national team; something that is not common in Venezuelan sports and I'm almost sure, that in no other country. Usually the athlete is formed as a child or adolescent to have that option.

This was my beginnings in taekwondo.

Soon I will tell you about the achievements that allowed me to remain in the national team of my country, Venezuela, for a long time.

Mirla Cabello