Roberto Carcelén - The beginnings

Roberto Carcelén is a Peruvian-American athlete who became the first Peruvian to compete in a Winter Olympic games. Carcelén competed as a cross-country skier in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic games and in the 2014 games at Sochi, Russia.

In 2006, a friend of Carcelen’s noticed his natural talent in the snow and suggested that he begin competing.  After a few months of training Carcelén had qualified to represent his home country of Peru in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games held in Vancouver, B.C.

Peru’s first winter Olympian.

After Vancouver, Carcelén returned to Peru to celebrate Peru’s first appearance in a winter Olympic event.  He quickly realized that his journey as an Olympic athlete was not about winning medals or self preservation but rather about the country that he called home and how he could use his new found success to help his countrymen.  Returning to Seattle as an athletic celebrity, Carcelén began working on what would become his true life’s work. Carcelén knew that with his newly found popularity could be used to make a difference and he began laying the groundwork for what would one day become the Roberto Carcelén Foundation.  In his heart, he knew that the task of creating a foundation to help the people of Peru would be a far more important task then competing in the top tier of athletic competition.

Competing in Russia Olympics

In 2013, Carcelén decided that he would compete as a cross-country skier one more time.  He began training and qualified to once again represent his country in the 20014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Just prior to Sochi, while training for the games Carcelén was involved in a training accident in Innsbruck, Austria.  Suffering from broken ribs and muscle injuries, Carcelén was advised by medical professionals to discontinue his involvement in the Sochi games.  Knowing that if he quit that his country would not be represented, Carcelén against his doctor’s wishes decided to race.

On Dec 14th, 2014  Enduring extreme pain and discomfort Roberto Carcelén raced in the Men’s 15km cross country race.  Due to his injuries, Carcelén quickly fell behind and eventfully fell into last place.  30 minutes after the second to last skier crossed the finish line; Roberto was in view of the finish line.  Looking into the crowd of Olympic fans, Carcelén spotted an onlooker cheering him on and waving the flag of Peru.  With pained movements only a few feet from the finish line, Carcelén made his way to the onlooker who handed him the flag.  As Carcelén made his way to the last few feet to complete the race the cheers of the attendees moved him as he raised the Peruvian flag in the air.      

After the 2014 Winter Olympics, Carcelén started The Roberto Carcelén Foundation (RCF).  RCF The Roberto Carcelén Foundation is committed to assisting to solve some of the world’s health and social problems through technology.
Since 2014, The RCF has funded over 600 technology scholarships in the US and Peru to undeserved young adults.
Based in New York City, Carcelén works as a technology consultant for Microsoft and continues to work with his foundation.

Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis

Roberto Carcelén was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Despite this devastating condition, Roberto will try to qualify to the 2022 Beijing Olympics to generate awareness on the disease and to demonstrate that everything is possible in life, a unique Olympic journey that is inspiring millions around the world. Roberto is conceding his privacy for the good of the many.

In addition to his goal of raising awareness for Parkinson's Disease, Roberto continues to grow "The Roberto Carcelen Foundation" and inspire us all.

Follows Roberto’s PD blog https://winbylosing.org