Mexican wrestler Mariana Diaz Munoz is doing push-ups while wrapped in a heavy metal chain at a training facility in Ventura County. She reaches 70 reps, cheered on by her teammates - who are fellow wrestlers in training for the Paris Olympic Games.
"Every day I get up knowing a wish that I've had for many years. And it's the Olympic dream," Munoz told KCLU.
"It's been a dream I've had for many, many years to be able to carry my flag with me. And it's also the dream of many, many girls that are watching me," she said.
Five athletes from the wrestling team are at this high-tech training facility, for a personalized week-long nutrition and conditioning training program.
Wrestler Alexis Ramirez says that the right preparation is key to success.
"You know, I think the first thing is to have good preparation and that's what we're working on right now," said Ramirez.
Done with the push-ups and after holding up a 60lbs weight in each hand for what seemed like an eternity, Mariana is now on a high-tech machine, in which she cycles her arms like a bicycle pedal. It looks grueling, as she is encouraged by the rest of the team and their trainer, Rodolfo Hernandez. He’s no stranger to competing at the Olympic Games – he competed in the 1996 Atlanta Games himself.
He says the appeal of wrestling is its history as being in the Olympic Games since the first games in Athens in 1896.
For these athletes, it’s the culmination of years of training and a lifetime of dreams, before they fulfil their ambitions to go on to represent their country at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
