Olympics 2021 - DACA recipient Luis Grijalva picks up pace in journey to represent Guatemala in 5,000 meters espn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from espn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
From Fairfield High School track star to Olympian: Luis Grijalva s bumpy road to Tokyo
Grijalva had faced deportation if he traveled out of the U.S. Share Updated: 8:09 PM PDT Aug 3, 2021
Grijalva had faced deportation if he traveled out of the U.S. Share Updated: 8:09 PM PDT Aug 3, 2021
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Show Transcript OR F LUIS, THE RACE BEGAN WELL BEFORE HE HIT THIS TRACK. WITH COACHES. HE WAS A RIDICULOUSLY TALENTED RUNNER. DEFINITELY THAT FIRST YR,EA WE DID NOT KNOW HE WAS GOING TO BE QUITE THAT GOOD. RMMOOATES. WE KNOW HOW HARD HE HAS WORKED AND WE ARE PROUD OF HIM. FRIENDS ARE CHEERING HIM ON. HE WAS JUST RUNNING AND WINNING. HE BECAME THE FIRST ATGUEMALAN TO MAKE IT TO AN OLYMPIC FINAL TUESDAY MORNING. BEFORE HE BECAME AN OLYMPIAN, HE WAS A STUDENT HEER WHO HAD BIG DREAMS AND THEAL TENT TO BACK IT UP. BUT HIS PATH TO TOKYO HAD ITS OBSTACLES. I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE HARD WITH ALL OF THESE POLITICS GOING ON. ERIC SAYS LS
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(Courtesy Northern Arizona University Athletics)
Luis Grijalva the first known DACA recipient to qualify for the Olympics headed to Tokyo Friday to compete in next week s 5,000 meter-race, representing his native Guatemala.
At this time last week, the Northern Arizona University track star wasn’t sure if U.S. immigration authorities would grant him permission to travel, despite qualifying for the race last month at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where he ran an impressive 13:13.14. Only on Monday was Grijalva granted emergency permission to leave the country, after showing up in person with his attorney at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Phoenix.
When Luis Grijalva crossed the finish line at the NCAA track and field championships last month, he knew he could reach his Olympic dream.
But first, immigration officials would have to agree to let the 22-year-old runner travel outside the United States and come back to the country he calls home.
Grijalva is a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient who will travel to Japan on Friday to represent Guatemala in the 5,000-meter race at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He and his lawyer spent several weeks petitioning US Citizenship and Immigration Services for a special permit known as advance parole that allows DACA recipients to reenter the US after traveling abroad.