Mexican cross-country skier Martinez breaks barriers on path to Games

MEXICO CITY, Jan 20 : Regina Martinez took up cross-country skiing while studying medicine in the U.S. as an antidote to harsh winters but the sport has led her to the Milano Cortina Olympics where she will be the first Mexican woman to compete in the discipline.

Martinez, who said she had dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player, was quickly drawn to cross-country skiing’s blend of physical grind and mental discipline.

Most importantly, the 33-year-old credits the sport with helping her through some of the most difficult periods of her medical studies in Minnesota, marked by brutal long, dark winters and isolation far from home.

"I experienced some extremely cold winters, the polar vortex below minus 50 degrees, loneliness, lack of light, very difficult times," Martinez told Reuters in an interview.

"I found this sport when I needed it most. It gave me an escape, a way to be outside, to move, to enjoy nature. As demanding as it is, you stop feeling the cold very quickly. You're surrounded by incredible landscapes.

"I realised I love challenges and working toward something every day. Then I started asking myself: how many Mexicans have competed in the Winter Olympics and how many women? That's when I realised how rare it is, that's why I'm here today."

Mexico has had only a handful of representatives in Olympic cross-country skiing. Roberto Alvarez broke new ground at Calgary 1988 and Albertville 1992 before a near three-decade absence that ended with German Madrazo in 2018 — who later coached subsequent Olympic athletes, including Martinez.

The Mexico City-born skier said her journey had been shaped as much by resilience as by chance, describing years marked by uncertainty and then steady belief.

"The path hasn't been