Impaired OCR bet overcomes challenges with determination

MANILA, Philippines — Obstacle course race (OCR) champion Andrea “Iya” Estrella isn’t letting visual impairment stop her from working to achieve sports excellence.

One of the stalwarts of the adaptive national athletes for OCR, Estrella’s determination and hard work paid off when she won a gold and a bronze in the Para OCR World Championships in Genk, Belgium last September.

“As a woman, I wanted to prove to others that I can do whatever men can do. There are still times when women are not treated equally, so I want to prove to them that even though I am a young woman who has a disability, I can still do what others can,” she said.

Estrella topped the OCR 100M P5 event while landing a podium finish in the 3K Short Course P5 category to add to the delegation’s bumper medal harvest.

“When you’re focused on your goal, even if you get hurt or when things get difficult, you’d do your best to finish it. You can’t stop in the middle of a race. You stop when you’re done,” said Estrella, part of this year’s Better Today: Power Move Project, organized by PLDT and Smart to celebrate World Mental Health month.

For Iya, her positive outlook on life and love for sports has strengthened her mentality amidst pressure.