Imagine finding time as a doctor in Florida to train for a demanding Winter Olympics sport, like Regina Martínez Lorenzo of Mexico was able to do.
She first clicked into skis at the age of 28 while fulfilling a medical internship in Minnesota. Five years later at 33, the Miami-based ER doctor just became Mexico’s first female cross-country skier to compete at the Olympics.
“It's incredible that I was able to get to this point of this really hard race, of this incredible competition. I'm so happy to finally finish the race that I've been waiting for a long time,” she told Claro Sports in Spanish after her debut Olympic race.
Ever since she was a little girl, Martínez Lorenzo, who was born in Mexico City, Mexico, dreamed of being an Olympian, she told NBC6.
But she didn’t find an avenue until, as an adult, she found friends who went cross-country skiing. While at the University of Minnesota Medical School — a place with limited sunshine and difficult winters — her friends inspired her to learn how to ski before graduating.
Soon after, she learned of another Mexican cross-country skier, German Madrazo, which opened her eyes to the opportunity before her.
“All these things happened at once, and I was like, you know, how many Mexicans go to the Winter Olympics?" Martínez Lorenzo told NBC6.
Martínez Lorenzo’s muse, Madrazo, started training in cross-country skiing just a year before PyeongChang 2018. At age 43, he competed in the men’s 15km Olympic race, finishing 112th out of 112th competitors. At the finish line Madrazo was handed the Mexican flag, which he raised high to the cheering crowd and his fellow skiers waiting to congratulate him.
Martinez Lorenzo began competing in 2020, first in the United States before traveling around the world to championships in Germany, roller ski competitions in Brazil, the Scandinavian Cup, and FIS events.
In 2021, she moved to Miami for her residency in emergency medicine, a sunny Florida city far away from snow. As she started her Olympic cycle, she practiced on roller skis and trained on the beach.
In the five years ahead of the Winter Games, Martínez Lorenzo faced plenty of adversity — a car accident, a coach telling her she was too old, and financial challenges. She walked dogs to help subsidize her training, according to her social media.
And train she did. She honed her technique, balance, and strength, and eventually trained with a cross-country skiing facility called Holmenkoll Treningslab based in Norway. At 32, all her work paid off when she qualified to represent Team Mexico at the 2026 Olympics.
Skiing for Mexico
Interestingly, Lorenzo is not the only cross-country skier on Team Mexico. Allan Corona, 36, is a triathlete who — like Martínez Lorenzo — began cross-country skiing to represent Mexico on the world stage. He made his Olympic debut in the men’s 10km free event on Friday, Feb. 13, and finished in 105th place.
“It was more of a result of trying to adapt at the best of my abilities to a new country, a new sport, a new culture, try to inspire, motive my kids, show the people around me that you can start from zero,” Corona told CGTN Europe. “It’s been unbelievable, I’m not going to lie.”
As teammates, Corona and Lorenzo have been having fun on social media. They gave a behind the scenes look at Opening Ceremony and hyped up the Mexico Olympic pin.
This year in Italy, there are numerous new competitors in cross-country skiing catching international attention. Stevenson Savart has become a breakout star of the Winter Games as Haiti’s first cross-country skier, and Matthew Smith, who was a South Africa flagbearer, is representing growth for an entire continent. Smith credited Corona, who he trains with in Norway, with inspiring him to take up the sport.
"You'll always remember the people you crossed the finish line with," he said after crossing three places behind Corona. "That's what the Olympics is all about."
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) and International Olympic Committee have been working to boost equality and access to the Games. As a result, established quotas focus on increasing opportunities for smaller countries. Mexico was granted quota spots for one man and one woman.
As Martínez Lorenzo crossed the finish line of the women’s 10km freestyle on Thursday, Feb. 12 — the last skier in the pack — all the spectators reacted to the moment and acknowledged her accomplishment. Her competitors were there waiting to congratulate her in a moment that echoed Madrazo’s 2018 finish.
It was a heart-warming display of Olympic spirit, as Bruna Moura of Brazil gave her an enthusiastic embrace and Martínez Lorenzo teared up. She was also greeted by the three medalists — Sweden's Frida Karlsson and Ebba Andersson, and the United States' Jessie Diggins — in a show of love for cross-country skiing.
Martínez Lorenzo told reporters after the race that she felt incredible to hear the stadium support her. Her family and friends from Mexico, her international team, her friends from medicine were all there.
“I feel like you've probably never seen this many Mexicans at a race like this,” she said. “It was awesome to be climbing and hear 'Viva México! Viva México!' I think the Nordics definitely aren't used to that.”
For her, it was five years of extremely hard work — from medical school, to learning a new sport, to the Olympic finish line.
“It's truly a dream come true,” she said. “It's been a long, long road filled with many sacrifices.”