For Linda Berntsson, coming to the Championships in Cali was an opportunity to return to her hometown

Linda remembers nothing of Cali. She was only two years old, 33 years ago in 1989, when she was adopted in the ‘Branch of Heaven’ by a Swedish couple. She is like fine perfumes: small in stature, but with a big smile and her complexion denotes her undisputed Latin blood. He still retains the athletic body that gave him his career as a long jumper when he was part of the athletics delegation of his adopted country.

She is the mother of two little girls and is currently a physiotherapist for the Swedish delegation that is coming to "fight" for a medal at the World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22. It is the first time she returns to her homeland, after having been adopted. She has never been interested in discovering her roots; she does not feel the need, period. She knew and always carried in her heart, the pictures that her parents shared with her from that hotel in the north of Cali, where they stayed to wait for the great news that finally Linda (they could not choose a better name) would become their daughter.

After 33 years, the Championship was the perfect excuse to return. The first thing she did this time, when he arrived at the hotel with his pupils and unpacked, was to go to that hotel. She took the same picture outside on its facade that her parents took 33 years ago; she smiled and sent it to them in a gesture of infinite gratitude to those who forged her and formed her into what she is today.

Linda has already run, won medals, felt what it was like to reach the podium and now, behind the scenes, she makes sure that her athletes are physically well and encouraged. At 35 years old, she looks like one more of her boys, all of them under 20 years old, who will arrive in Cali this year 2022 to dream and very possibly to remember her as the city that saw them become champions, perhaps for the first time.

She is calm, chévere; a word she learned during the conversation in one of the trainings and that caught her attention so much that she copied it and even looked for a song in a music platform with that title. "It's very cool to be in Cali - was what she said - although it is very different from Sweden. I'm taking a lot of pictures so my daughters can see where their mom was born."

Her last competition as a professional athlete was 10 years ago. The races are over, but not her eagerness to be the best in her profession and contribute her knowledge to her delegation. She admits that she knows little about salsa, but perhaps she is good at it because she will always carry it in her DNA.

Linda was fascinated with the Pascual Guerrero stadium track: "It has very fast lines, it's a very good track. I can't wait to see the competitions".

The World Athletics U20 Championship in Cali has not only become an event to dream and to project oneself, but also a perfect excuse to recover roots, to generate new friendships and to leave beautiful memories in the hearts of 1517 of the best young athletes in the world.

Communications LOC World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 2022.