Yelena Isinbayeva

Yelena Isinbayeva was born in 3 June 1982. She has an ethnic origin. Her mother was a shop assistant. Also, she has a sister, called Inna. She came from humble beginnings, so her parents had to make many sacrifices in her early career.

She began in the gymnastics when she was just 5 years old, but at 15 she left the sport for being too tall for that.

Later, having taken up pole-vaulting, she won the ’98 World Youth Games, being this one just her third athletic competition. She has reached 27 world records in that sport, reaching even 5, 06 m.

I admire Yelena because she has worked so hard on her sport and by her records is considered one of the most successful athletes of her generation.

(By César Cuadra - 3°F - 5,0)

Brian Degaan

Degaan was born on May 9th in Omaha, Nebraska. He is a professional freestyle motocross rider and founding member of the metal mulisha. Degaan was the first ever to do a 360 (some called it backflip) in a competition; he named the trick the metal mulisha twist. He has also been a pioneering innovator in freestyle motocross and he is the most decorated freestyle motocross rider in X-games history. With 10 total medals, 3 golds and 7 bronzes, he is the only rider to compete in at least 1 event in every X-Games.

He became a pro supercross rider at age 17. In 1997 at the LA Coliseum, Brian Deegan won the 125 cc main and in true rebel fashion, ghost rode his bike across the finish line.

Deegan ventured into short course off-road racing in the “lucas oil off road racing series” unlimited lites division during 2009 and the rookie won the championship over experienced drivers.

During a 2005 taping of “mtv viva la bam” Deegan under-rotated a backflip and the handle bars hit hard in his mid-section, almost losing his life. He lost a kidney, lacerated his spleen, and lost a significant amount of blood. He now has a long scar down his stomach, that he calls his “zipper”, spanning almost his entire abdomen, as a result of the accident.

At the end of the episode when it originally aired, Bam dedicated it to Brian.

(By Víctor Corrales - 3°G - 6,0)

Elías Figueroa

Elias Figueroa was born on October 25th, 1946 in Valparaiso, Chile. He has two brothers and a sister. When he was a child he had very bad health, so he had to move from Cerro Polanco to Quilpue.

When he was 14 years old he started to play soccer in the “Alto Florida” club.

One day his father and a manager of the soccer team “Santiago Wanderers” watched him when he was playing and the manager said to Elias “you have to go and train with the Santiago Wanderers on the adult team”.

Elias went to train and he played with the adult team.

He played at the Soccer World Cup in 1966 and since that World Cup, big and importants teams had been watching him.

The previous year he was named the best player of Brazil, playing for “Sport Club Internacional”.

After the World Cup of Spain in 1982, he announced his retirement from soccer.

Elias Figueroa was the best soccer player in Chile and all Chilean people remember his triumphs. He was named the best player of South America 3 times in 1974, 1975 and 1976.

(Written by Benjamín Cornejo - 3°J - 6,4)

Elías Figueroa

Figueroa was born in Valparaiso, on October 25, 1946 to an average family. When he was little he had heart problems and later developed asthma. For this reason, the Figueroas decided to move to the city of Quilpue which is famous for its good air.

At an early age, Elías Figueroa began to show talent with the football, but the doctors forbade him to play sports and they even said that he would not be a “normal” child. However, at eight years old he entered the “Alto Florida” Quilpue club. It was there that Figueroa discovered his passion and ability for football.

A year later, thanks to his father`s contacts with the technical assistant of “Santiago Wanderers”, the young Elías Figueroa tried out at the institution.

Then he played in “Peñarol” and “International of Porto Alegre” where he was a champion and recognized as the best South American football player for 3 consecutive years. He was also named the best player in Chile of all time.

(Written by Fernando Caucota - 3°J - 7,0)

Marcelo Salas

Jose Marcelo Salas Melinao (born on December 24, 1974), better known as Marcelo Salas is an association football player from Chile. He and Ivan Zamorano are two of Chile’s most famous soccer players ever. Some state that 1976 was his birth year, however, most records, including his playing records, indicate that he was born in 1974.

Salas debuted playing for de Universidad de Chile in 1993. In 1994, he played overseas for the first time, sharing the bench with legendary player Hugo Sanchez, among others, in the Atlante first division team in Mexico. He finished his participation with Atlante in 1995. In 1996, Salas went on to play with River Plate of Argentina’s first division. That year also, he helped his team in Chile win the national championship. In 1998, he participated with Chile in the World  Cup, after his run at River Plate was over.

Marcelo Salas scored 29 goals in 54 games at the AFA league. With the Chilean national team, he scored 21 goals in 27 games.
(Written by Benjamín Carrasco - 3°H - 6,4)

Leonel Sánchez

Leonel Sánchez is a retired Chilean football player. He was born on April 25th of 1936. He is the son of former boxing champion, Carlos Sánchez.

He started playing football on the junior leagues of Universidad de Chile, when he was 11. When he was 16, although he wasn’t in good shape, he started to gain reputation for his powerful left leg and playing like a veteran.

He played on the main team of Universidad de Chile for 16 years, earning 6 titles. In 1969, he switched teams to play for Colo-Colo for 2 seasons (1969 and 1970). In 1971 he played for Club Deportivo Palestino, and finally for Ferroviarios. He retired in 1973.

He also played on the Chilean national team, where he debuted on September 18 of 1955, and played in the world cups of 1958, 1962 and 1966.

He played 526 matches and made 194 goals.

He is especially remembered for punching the Italian player Mario David during the 1962 World Cup, where his team obtained the Third place of the tournament.

Since he has retired, he wrote on the newspaper “La Nacion” and was the godfather on the wedding of his teammate Rubén Marcos.

He is considered to be among the best Chilean football players in history, and is still admired and loved by the fans of Universidad de Chile.

(Written by Mario Cárdenas - 3°J - 7,0)

Iván Zamorano

Ivan Zamorano was born in Santiago, on January 18, 1967. He was the eldest son of a young couple, Luis Zamorano and Alicia Zamora. They lived in La Legua, in the commune of San Miguel.

From kindergarden to eighth grade, he studied in the 447 School located in Villa Mexico, in the commune of Maipu. Later he completed his education in French high school.

His first experience with football was when he was one and a half years old, because his uncle gave him a ball. So when he was learning to walk, he was also learning how to play football.

His first experience playing professional football was in Cobresal. He stayed on that football team for 2 years, and in that time he won awards like “Scorer of the opening tournament”.

Later on, in his first match playing with the Chilean football selection against Peru, he scores his first great goal. He became famous and he had his first big success.

Then he played in many famous teams like Sevilla FC, Real Madrid and many others.

In the 2003, he announced his retirement from the professional football, while he was playing for Colo-Colo in Chile.

(Written by Nicolás Buendía - 3°I - 7,0)