I had no idea a girl from Juárez was competing at the Olympics until I saw a billboard that said "Juárez, the land of champions." I had driven by the same billboard several times before realizing what it actually meant. I asked around and very few people know about it. However, I think it’s time we all know about Zudikey Rodriguez.

She is a 21-year-old Juarez student who will be representing Mexico in the 200-meter race in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Zudikey was born in Valle de Bravo, Estado de Mexico, but has been in Juárez for almost two years. She says Juárez is more than home to her. “I haven’t met better people than the people here; they are so warm and humble,” she said. She said she plans to live here for the rest of her life.

When she was younger, she started out playing basketball. That’s when her coach realized she was incredibly fast. He suggested that she start competing in the racing field. “I started competing and started winning, I didn’t know I would be so good,” she said.

She found out she was going to the Olympics almost a year ago. To prepare, Zudikey trains six hours a day. She studies nutrition, but she does not have a strict diet. “You should see me at the buffets,” she said.

For Zudikey the hardest thing about being an athlete is being a mom. She has a two year-old boy who constantly asks her to play with him more often. “It’s hard not having enough time for him,” she said.

Zudikey plans to get married soon, but not until she’s done with school. “My education is important to me. I know that I can be an athlete for 10 more years or so, but my education is forever,” she said.

Zudikey was in a car accident two months ago. She had knee surgery and hasn’t felt the same since. “The pain is unbearable; I haven’t had a chance to rest because the expectations are too high,” she said.

Her biggest fear is hurting her knee again and not being able to perform as well as she should. Her record time in the 200 meters is 23.18 seconds.

Zudikey gave me a really wise answer when I asked her if she was prepared to win or lose at the Olympics. “I’m prepared for both. Not just as an athlete, but as a person in life you have to be prepared to fail and succeed.” However, she is training to win.

Her biggest inspiration is Ana Guevara, also a Mexican female athlete. “My dream would be to compete against her,” she said. Nonetheless, Ana Guevara, one of the fastest women in the world, resigned as an athlete because of the lack of support she received from the Mexican government.

However, Zudikey feels supported. The University of Juarez (UACJ) provides her with a full scholarship. I asked her if she had any big athletic sponsors. I had Nike, Adidas or Puma in mind, but she said, “the company Gas Natural de Juarez and the Hospital Guernika are my biggest sponsors.”

Zudikey hopes to be an inspiration for others and wants to make Juárez proud. The billboard is a small step towards getting to know and appreciate her.

“When I saw the billboard for the first time I had butterflies in my stomach, actually I still feel the butterflies.” Zudikey told me.

Some people now recognize her on the street and yell at her: “bring home the gold!”

And that’s exactly what she plans to do.

Alejandra Gomez profiles Juárez people for Newspaper Tree.