TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - From a Sahuarita Middle School wrestling mat to the mats of the Arizona Dymanics gym, Dianne Soria Galvarro has found success.
"I remembered when I wrestled they're like you're really good, you have really good balance, I was like yeah I know, they would say you should try gymnastics," the 17-year old Bolivia native says.
Once she tried gymnastics, Dianne excelled. The teenager stopped attending high school and began taking online classes in order to maximize training. She spends the mornings doing school work, drives nearly an hour to Arizona Dynamics Gym, and trains for four hours a day under head coach and former U of A gymnast Gina Mueller Martin.
"Floor is her best event, so I would say that's one of her gifts. She knows how to perform naturally," Mueller Martin adds.
Soria Galvarro admits it was an adjustment to leave high school, but says "I'd rather be getting a really good skill and having fun in the gym than having fun at a party."
That bold sacrifice has paid off. Dianne placed 23rd in the All-Around at the 2015 South American Championships. She also competed in the World Championships in Scotland just last month, where she was accompanied by Olympians like Gabby Douglas.
Bolivia is not yet an Olympic-approved country in the sport of gymnastics, but may be by January 2016.
Dianne, currently ranked second in Bolivia, will have the opportunity to compete in nationals for a spot in the Rio 2016 Olympic games.
"There's only a handful of athletes from Bolivia that are as good as her, so it's realistic," her coach says.
Dianna says, "It would mean the world to me, I've dreamt about that since I was little. A lot of people are like 'oh my gosh, the Olympics, no!' But I mean I've gotten this far..."
