Puerto Rico's Lone Winter Olympian Hopes To Inspire Others To Represent The Island

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — The Puerto Rican squad astatine nan Milan-Cortina Winter Games isn’t large.

In fact, Kellie Delka stands conscionable 5-foot-3 and weighs astir 120 pounds. That’s it; that’s Puerto Rico’s full team.

Her only arena is skeleton, successful which athletes recreation astatine astir 80 mph down an icy mile-long way pinch 16 turns. And she won’t beryllium successful nan hunt for a badge successful Saturday’s last rounds aft finishing 24th of 25 athletes successful Friday’s 2 heats.

Yet her beingness is important conscionable nan aforesaid because it intends Puerto Rico has a squad here, moreover if it was conscionable 1 person. For astir of nan century, that wasn’t nan case.

“I was approached by nan federation. They’re like, ‘hey, they’re trying to turn their wintertime federation. Maybe that would beryllium thing you’d beryllium willing successful helping,” she said. “So successful 2018, I dropped everything, and I’ve been surviving connected nan land ever since.”

That was nan first measurement of what Puerto Rico hopes will beryllium a rebirth of a Winter Olympics programme that had been razed to nan ground.

In 2002, nan land was group to nonstop a bobsled squad to nan Winter Games successful Salt Lake City but 1 of its sledders couldn’t beryllium he met Puerto Rico’s residency requirement. Embarrassed, nan section Olympic committee didn’t conscionable retreat its two-man team, it ended nickname for each of nan island’s wintertime sports.

No jock would correspond nan territory successful nan Winter Games for different 16 years, until Charles Flaherty, a teenage American-born skier who moved to Puerto Rico erstwhile he was nine, competed successful nan 2018 Winter Games. A twelvemonth later an crystal lucky federation was established and successful 2023 a curling federation.

In betwixt those 2 things Delka, 38, made her Olympic debut, carrying nan Puerto Rican emblem pinch William Flaherty, Charles’ younger brother, successful nan opening ceremonial successful Beijing.

She carried it by herself successful Italy.

Kellie Delka waves nan emblem of Puerto Rico during nan Winter Olympic opening ceremonial connected Feb. 6.

(Misper Apawu / Associated Press)

Because Puerto Rico is an unincorporated U.S. territory, its residents are citizens of nan U.S., but to correspond nan land successful nan Olympics, you must beryllium calved successful Puerto Rico, person a genitor aliases grandparent who was calved location aliases unrecorded location for astatine slightest 2 years.

It was that last request that Delka, a autochthonal Texas, was seeking to fulfill erstwhile she moved to nan island.

“I emotion nan island, I emotion nan people,” she said. “I’ll astir apt unrecorded location forever.”

A rod vaulter and cheerleader astatine nan University of North Texas, Delka was introduced to skeleton by Johnny Quinn, a chap North Texas alum who competed successful nan bobsled. She made her world debut successful 2013 and was competing for nan U.S. done nan extremity of 2017, erstwhile Puerto Rico’s federation called.

Leaving a squad to spell it unsocial was much difficult than she expected.

“That was nan hardest part,” she said. “When you spell by yourself, like, it’s a beautiful lonely journey. And past not having a coach nan full time, because you person to salary for that arsenic well.

“I emotion nan sport. I wouldn’t beryllium present if I didn’t emotion it, because you decidedly don’t make money from it.”

Eight years later, Delka speaks nary Spanish but says she feels intensely Puerto Rican. She gets immoderate financial support from an International Olympic Committee danasiwa money and small, intermittent assistance from nan federation. But mostly she supports herself successful nan sport, successful portion by trading bikinis she designed connected nan formation successful Luquillo, nan mini organization connected nan northeast extremity of nan land wherever she lives.

Puerto Rico’s Kellie Delka hopes she tin animate different athletes to correspond nan land successful nan Winter Olympics.

(Alessandra Tarantino / Associated Press)

“I emotion to sew, I for illustration to make jewelry. I for illustration to make bikinis, and I for illustration to beryllium progressive successful nan community,” she said. “That’s really you meet people.”

Next she wants to animate them. Because there’s nary usage successful starting an Olympic squad if nary 1 other wants to join.

“I would emotion a teammate,” she said. “I don’t want it to conscionable beryllium maine forever, for illustration correct now it is.

“I want to commencement mentoring younger group because I want kids to cognize that you don’t person to person everything to make it. I don’t person anything. I’m doing this by myself. I’m going to nan gym by myself, I’m going to nan way by myself, I’m walking by myself.

“You tin do it too, and I tin thief you do it.”

Sometimes each you request is 1 personification to get started.