Playa del Carmen’s “Girl with Wings” Earns International Berth

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Ramona Zakharova has already earned the right to represent Mexico at one of the world’s largest aerial-sports competitions. Now she must find the money to get there.

The young Playa del Carmen athlete, known as “La Niña con Alas” or “The Girl with Wings,” recently received the city’s Youth Award in recognition of a sporting career that has taken her from training at home to the top of the national podium.

At the 2026 Mexican Aerial Sports Open in Querétaro, Zakharova won the national title in the elite Aerial Hoop Sport category. She also finished second in artistic silks and artistic hoop, earning places at both the Pan American and World Championships.

The results followed her 2025 national championship in junior artistic silks. That victory also qualified her for an international competition, but she was unable to attend because she could not raise enough money to cover the trip.

“Because it is a sport that is not very well known, many times people don’t want to support it,” Zakharova said. “Last year, I wasn’t able to go to the world championship I had qualified for because of that same issue.”

She now has another opportunity.

Zakharova will first compete at the Pan American Aerial Sports Championship, which will be held in Cancún from September 25 through 27. The event’s proximity removes one of the largest financial obstacles and will give local residents a rare opportunity to see an international aerial competition close to home.

Her more difficult challenge comes in November, when the world championship will be held in the Czech Republic. The five-day competition is scheduled for November 6 through 11, but Zakharova still does not have a sponsor to cover her airfare, accommodations and other expenses.

Aerial sports combine strength, flexibility, technique and artistic presentation. Athletes perform choreographed routines on apparatus such as suspended hoops, silks and poles. Judges assess not only the difficulty of the movements but also their execution, control and, in artistic divisions, the quality of the overall performance.

Although the discipline is growing—approximately 200 children and adults reportedly participated in this year’s national competition—it receives far less institutional and commercial support than more established sports.

Zakharova has responded by organizing fundraising activities and seeking help from individual supporters. She trains on a specially installed structure at home, using professional safety mats and supervision because of the height and physical risk involved.

Her latest recognition is a welcome acknowledgment from Playa del Carmen, but an award alone will not put her on a plane.

That is the frustrating gap faced by many promising young athletes in less widely recognized sports. They can train for years, win national titles and qualify fairly for international competition, only to discover that the final test is not athletic at all. It is financial.

Zakharova has already missed one world championship because the resources were not available. This year, she is hoping Playa del Carmen’s business and wider community will help ensure that “La Niña con Alas” finally gets the chance to compete on the world stage she has earned.