How a Knee Injury Launched Rogelio Ramírez's Water Polo Career

Rogelio de Jesús Ramírez Muñoz, captain of the Guanajuato U-18 men's water polo team, led a pair of victories at the start of the discipline at the CONADE 2024 Nationals: the first against Nuevo León by 16-12 and later against the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) by 12-10, in the activities taking place at the Polideportivo Metropolitano in Zapopan, Jalisco.

"We have been working for five years now, national after national, we are competing and have been in the top five, that is why today's result is merit of constancy and discipline since this year has been very hard for us as we have been traveling and working constantly," said Rogelio de Jesus Ramirez.

The native of Leon, Guanajuato, also wants to guide his team to climb the podium beyond the two third place medals they have achieved. "Three years ago here in Jalisco, we obtained the bronze medal, which was the first national medal for the state of Guanajuato, and it was something historic for us, in La Paz we had bronze; today we want to have silver or gold," he said.

"I've known them for five years, and they are my family, we have a very good unity, we are not thirteen, but we are one because no one wants to be the best, we all want the team to be the best, then humility and friendship will make us strong," he added.

The 17-year-old water polo player, who used to play soccer, a popular sport in the country, never imagined that the discipline he plays today would be the best he would have in the present.

"I had a knee injury from playing soccer which caused me to go to swimming rehabilitation, being there my water polo coach actually saw me, and I am a person who has the characteristic of being tall, I am 1.93 meters tall, and he liked that part, then he gave me the opportunity to approach this discipline and in the end it turned out that this is the love of my life."

Besides the fact that he got to know this sport accidentally, his attitudes and aptitudes stand out in water polo. "My coach always said that I was a person with good leadership and patience in the game. That is quite good because there must always be someone who puts the control in the team," he explained.

Finally, Rogelio de Jesus Ramirez maintained that being part of the Mexican national team will make him demand more of himself to compete at the highest level in international events. "A year and a half ago, I was selected to represent Mexico in the Pan American in Bauru, Brazil, which was not a very good result for us, but the experience I have is to continue improving, and we must seek to remain on the selection list," he concluded.