Camila Pirelli, Paraguayan Olympic Hurdler, Races to Make a Difference on Climate by Becoming EcoAthletes Champion
Camila Pirelli grew up in a small town — Ayolas — in a small, landlocked country — Paraguay.
But she had big dreams — to become an Olympian and to make a difference in the lives of her community — and the persistence to do everything she could to make them come true. It was a long, hard, route, full of detours and potholes, but she became an Olympian at 32, running in the 100-meter hurdles in Tokyo this summer.
Known throughout Paraguay as ‘La Pantera Guaraní’ — La Pantera means ‘The Panther’ and the Guaraní are the Indigenous people in that region — Pirelli has already made a positive impact in her country.
“I am fortunate to be able to give motivational speeches to office workers, to kids, in Paraguay,” Pirelli shared. “I show them that they have reason to hope, that they can overcome the hurdles that life puts in front of them. I love it!”
It is not lost on La Pantera Guaraní that panteras/panthers are an endangered species and that the impacts of the climate crisis are accelerating mass extinctions. That is why she has committed to making a difference on the environment and climate. And that is why she is EcoAthletes’ newest Champion.
Camila Pirelli practicing her jumps in advance of her Tokyo Olympics 100m hurdles heat (Photo credit: Paraguay Olympic Committee
Camila Pirelli, ‘La Pantera Guaraní’, warms up for a practice session at the Tokyo Olympics (Photo credit: Paraguay Olympic Committee)
“I grew up in an environmentally-conscious family,” noted Pirelli. “My mom worked in the environmental department for a dam in our area. We weren’t allowed to litter and were brought up to take care of animals, plants. Studying the environment and climate change was natural for me.”
Pirelli has seen the impacts of climate change in Paraguay up close.
“When I was growing up, Paraguay was categorized as a temperate country, now we are tropical,” she said. “And, when you’re a landlocked country, that is especially bad. We had drought and wildfires in Northern Paraguay, like in California. People were not expecting it and that made dealing with it even worse.”
Through her track and field career — she is first and foremost a heptathlete[1] and also competes in the hurdles, the event that got her to the Tokyo Olympics — Pirelli has also seen climate change’s effects all over the world.
“The heat in Tokyo was terrible and far beyond what I was used to,” remarked Pirelli. “It really was too much and pushed many of us close to our breaking points. This is not how sports are supposed to be and yet, if society doesn’t make the changes necessary to reduce our carbon footprint, extreme heat will make sports events much more dangerous for athletes and spectators.”
La Pantera Guaraní believes that becoming an EcoAthletes Champion will allow her to inspire her fans to make changes that will start a #ClimateComeback.
“I want to use my name and my platform to make a difference on climate in Paraguay and EcoAthletes will help me do this,” asserted Pirelli. “For me, it is especially important to inspire the kids, las panteritas, to of course talk about climate change, but even more importantly, take actions that will reduce carbon emissions.”
For Lew Blaustein, CEO and founder of EcoAthletes, that Pirelli comes from a small country means she has a chance to have an outsized impact as a Champion.
“In Paraguay, Camila may be La Pantera but she’s also a fish — as in a big fish in a small pond,” Blaustein said. “That gives her the ability to really lead. EcoAthletes looks forward to working with her to help mobilize las panteritas into a positive ‘climate action’ force.”
[1] The seven events of the heptathlon are the 100 meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 meter sprint, long jump, and the 800 meter run