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Luisa Fernanda Portocarrero Díaz (born May 5th, 1977 in Managua, Nicaragua) is a Nicaraguan-born Guatemalan elite gymnast. She is one of the 3 gymnasts in history to have represented Guatemala at the Olympic Games.

Early Life[]

Luisa was born in the capital of Nicaragua, Managua, in 1977. She lived there for the first two years of her life with her family, until the Revolución Sandinista forced them out of the country. Her family decided to move to Guatemala. She eventually nationalized herself as a Guatemalan citizen some time later.

Start in Gymnastics[]

Luisa began walking at 6 months, which is something unusual, and by the age of 5 she was already doing back handsprings and other somersaults in her bed. Her parents noticed her hyperactivity and signed her up for a gymnastics class in a gym. Luisa says that at first they only considered it a sport for her to casually do on the weekdays. However, she later started training more and more and became more passionate for the sport, and she decided that one day she wanted to compete at the Olympics.

Move to Canada and Career[]

After some time, Luisa outgrew what her gym in Guatemala could teach her, so both she and her parents decided that training in another country was the best possible option for her. Luisa moved to Toronto, Canada to train at the Sport Seneca gymnastics club, where she was coached by Carol-Angela Orchard.

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