Raquel was born and raised in a small town called La Vega, in the center of Dominican Republic. She was very active as a kid, starting swim lessons at age of 3, and later doing some recreational MTB and triathlons. Here, she found her passion and represented the Dominican flag at the Junior Pan-American Championships in Costa Rica, and Mexico in 1997 & 1998, winning first place in both. At age 16 she participated as Elite during the first year that Triathlon was included in the Central American Games in 1998, finishing in 9th place.

Raquel is a graduate of PUCMM University, where she studied Business Administration with an Athletic Scholarship. After graduation, Raquel would go on to work in finance from 2003 to 2012. In 2009, she earned an International Scholarship, completing an MBA degree with a Marketing concentration at Western Michigan University. After the birth of her daughter in 2013, Raquel came back to triathlon, initially just for fun.

Athletic Accomplishments
Since that time, Raquel has been participating as a professional athlete in around 100 triathlons locally and in International events, such as Distance Sprint, Olympic, and half Ironman. She also participates in swimming, running and cycling events. Here are some of her accomplishments:

• Dominican Republic Consecutive Champion from 2013-2017.
• Winning 1st place or podium in almost all Michigan Triathlon events from 2013 to 2017.
• Qualified by points earned at ITU- International Triathlon Union races for
• Toronto Pan-American Games in 2015.
• Qualified by points (ITU) 3 World Series.
• USAT Certified Coach Level I.
• USAT Certified Youth and Junior Elite Coach.
• Extensive experience Coaching swimming. Started coaching at the pool other Kids (5-15 yr old) when she was 14 years old through the present.

Coaching Athletes of All Ages
Raquel has extensive experience coaching swimming. Started coaching at the pool to other kids ranging anywhere from 5 to 15 years old when she was just 14 and continues to do so today. Raquel recently began coaching triathlon and running in 2015, helping athletes of all ages and skill levels achieve their personal goals.

Raquel’s detail-oriented approach to coaching factors-in that all humans are unique and have different backgrounds. She believes that by developing a love of the sport, and not comparing your progress to others leads to positive character development and confidence. She teaches that you can achieve anything you want in life if you focus on small steps, and by doing your best on small things you can achieve great things.

“For most, sports will not be a lifelong pursuit. However, what we learn sticks with us forever and can be applied in many areas of our lives.”