Olympians start out as normal athletes, but continue their careers with a special drive that sets them apart. This drive is rare and the families that see it in their athletes will give everything they can to help them reach their full potential.

The Navarro family understands the sacrifices and endless support it takes to raise an Olympic athlete all too well. Their son resides in Mexico City and is training in Taekwondo, more than 1,000 miles away.

Olympian Carlos Rubén Navarro Valdez started Taekwondo at the age of five, moved to Mexico and away from his family at the age of 13 and went to Plano West up until he was 17. He then permanently moved to Mexico City. Three years later, at the age of 20, he competed at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.

“At the age of 13, I had been practicing about five hours a day,” Carlos said. “I had to leave my family to go live in Mexico City because of requirements of the National Team. These two things were hard for me especially while competing.”

Once he was selected to be a part of the Mexican National Team, living in Texas was not an option. It takes more than just time away from their lives when an athlete is training to become an Olympian. Being away from family can be difficult when he needs the support.

“My brother and I always did everything together,” senior Silvia Navarro Valdez said. “It was hard to have my best friend live in another country but I knew it’d be worth it.”

Silvia is also an athlete. She is a very committed cross country runner who has been running since 7th grade. Now she is one of the captains for this year’s cross country team. Silvia admires her brother’s work ethic and skills and is very open about her admiration. She and 30 of her family members went to Rio and cheered her brother on. The experience of supporting her Olympian was just as exciting as anyone could imagine it would be.

“Although my brother didn’t win [this time], the experience taught me that my family will always be there for each other through the good times and the bad,” Silvia Navarro said.

Olympians have more than just their coaches that take them all the way to the highest level of competing. They have a whole family to support them and without them, they would not be able to be where they are. Family is key to Carlos’s competing and he mentions this often.

“Without the help of your family, you can’t get anywhere,” Carlos said. “For me, in my experience, my family helped me reach my goals and get me to the places I wanted to be.”

Carlos has his immediate family including Silvia, his mom and his dad here in Texas. His mom is the one who pushed him into Taekwondo at a young age.

“My son is a hard worker and has a great mentality that fights every match with his heart,” Carlos’s mother, Silvia Margarita Valdez Vasquez, said.

Although Carlos did not earn a medal in his first Olympics, he was close. He lost while fighting for the bronze medal. Carlos says he hopes to compete in the 2020 Olympics in Japan. This means more hard work and practice for another four years in Mexico City. The Navarro’s have gone through it before, and are ready to put in extra time and be the foundation for Carlos again.

“With every ‘high performance athlete’ comes a high performing family,” Silvia Vasquez said.