The Carthaginian cyclist receives a scholarship from the United States University to study and compete

Her eight national mountain biking championships, three on the road and her good academic grades in the last three years of high school and college, opened the doors for cyclist Maria Jose Segura to pursue her dream.

The 23-year-old has been awarded a scholarship to study at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Georgia, US, for the next four years, and will also join her cycling team to compete in college events across the country.

Thus, the cyclist, a native of Cartagena, set a precedent by having the opportunity to study thanks to a sport that is not traditionally considered in our country an option for sports scholarships and for going beyond the academic level, such as athletics, football and basketball, among others.

Even Maria Jose fought her first competition this Saturday, March 19, in Calhoun, Georgia to defend her new colors and although she emphasized that it was complicated by the adaptation, she said it was the first step to achieving her goals.

“The scholarship has been in processing for about a year. A lot of paperwork had to be done and therefore it is a very good university. What caught my attention the most was that he had a cycling team, regardless of his education level, which was important to me as an athlete,” Segura said.

“After the team coach studied my sporting and academic achievements, I got a full scholarship. It includes food, housing and racing costs, as well as cycling equipment and competition registration fees. The truth is a great opportunity to study and continue to grow in cycling,” he commented.

In our country, Maria José was studying engineering in electrical medicine, however, at SCAD, she will get a degree in visual communication with a focus on design.

“My career is managed by groups of circles and I will complete it. I will study from Monday to Friday and the idea is with my country Fitness Trainer My team will be participating in the main team races and trying to qualify for the national finals. Also, I hope to be able to participate in other events as a brand ambassador. Go Rigo GoWhich was my family and from whom I received great support.”

“For me, the main thing is to achieve academic goals and get the best grades that will allow me to keep my scholarship and continue to compete. For me, it is a great opportunity, a small step in my desire to go up that ladder and go step by step to make the leap to professionalism, but we are slowly going And with good handwriting to make it happen,” he commented.

family support

Although in her youth she practiced football, swimming and even adventured with bicycles and skateboards, Maria José tended to ride bicycles thanks to her older brother, who took her to a training session and has since not stopped riding her bike.

Named three times the top rider at the National Games, as well as her 11 National titles, as well as the 6th place in the Pan American mountain biking and the 10th place in the Pan American Road, the cyclist knows she has a great opportunity, but she also appreciates the support that the company has given In the last years Go Rigo Go.

“Cycling has always been present in my life. It is very demanding, but I have always been very competitive, so I fell in love with this discipline. It is not easy, but I have worked hard to achieve important goals that were ultimately essential for me to get the scholarship,” Segura admitted .

“In recent months it has been a family Go Rigo Go They have given me a lot of help and support, just as my family did during my 12 years of cycling, because they encouraged me to keep going and they never turned their backs on me. It wasn’t easy, but without that motivation it would have been more difficult to get results.

Her debut with her alma mater on Saturday, March 19th was not easy either, but she is confident that she will be able to improve and prove why she was awarded the scholarship and trusted her.

“Despite having my first race this Saturday, I felt good. The tempo was very strong. The truth is unbelievable. Here you are treated to a completely different step than what is usually done in Costa Rica, however, we managed to finish, and the first goal was ‘,” said the 23-year-old.

“Now what we have to do is get used to the speed, we only have five days with the team, but the truth is that I feel very happy, this is what I dreamed of and I am excited for the upcoming competitions, which are in April.”