Olympic athlete Valentina Acosta Giraldo’s love for archery began with the ‘Hunger Games’ book series
Quick question, remember the Hunger Games movie? We think we just met the real-life Katniss Everdeen—and she's a very stylish one!
Bucket hats have been a trend lately, giving us that casual yet stylish vibe... However, it might not be the best outfit option in the Olympics. Well, it wasn't, until Valentina Acosta Giraldo, a 21-year-old archer who proved us otherwise.
This Columbian sweetheart stunned us in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics debut with her charming smile, a slightly faded red bucket hat, with one side of her hair dyed in the colors of Colombia's flag.
In an interview with World Archery, Giraldo shared her thoughts about athletic appearances and style, explaining the conceived notion that athletes choose to wear clothes that set off a more masculine tone.
“I like to break that part… like I can be whoever I want, look however I want, and still be an athlete,” she said.
Before she discovered her love for archery, Giraldo practiced swimming and played football. She later revealed that it was because of the Hunger Games book series that made her want to pursue archery as her sport.
“After reading the books, I became interested in archery. A lot of people thought that it was only because of the trendy story, but I’m still here,” she said.
Matured beyond her age, she made her debut in Lima 2019 Pan American Games, where she earned her first bronze medal.
In the same year, she competed at the World Youth Championships in Madrid, making her the first Columbian archer athlete to win an individual gold medal, under-21 recurve category.
She later expressed that her victory in Madrid was not something she had anticipated, and that she only went because she wanted to have fun.
Her success in the sport opened more opportunities for her and she used those competitions to prepare herself for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Unfortunately, her participation in the Olympics came to an end last July 28 with a score of 6-4 when she lost against Sarah Bettles of Great Britain.
She then posted on Instagram, thanking all the people who supported her during the game.
“This is an amazing experience, even If I didn’t manage to win, a great lesson for me and a chance to do better.” she said.