By Natalia Rueda 
Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle has come a long way since her childhood when she emigrated from Nicaragua to Costa Rica. The current 105 lbs. World Boxing Champion of the International Boxing Federation and the World Boxing Organization has overcome challenges such as machismo and patriarchy to achieve her dreams. The Central American athlete has become a UN champion, using the recognition she has earned in the boxing ring to promote gender equality, female empowerment, and human rights.
Valle began boxing at the age of 13, against a backdrop of discrimination and economic difficulties. The selection of Yokasta Valle as the UNICEF Costa Rica champion was appreciated and praised by Allegra Baicochi, the resident coordinator of the UN in Costa Rica. She expressed, “it is an honor to work with a woman who has overcome great challenges, from adapting her life to a new country as a child, to facing discrimination and exclusion at different times in her life.”
Yokasta Valle expressed her happiness and gratitude for the recognition and highlighted that she hopes it will inspire other people to break the gender gap. She said, “many colleagues told me that if they, who were men, could not be champions, let alone me, who am a woman. There is nothing we women can’t do. As I always tell the girls: take those speeches of hate and discrimination as the fuel to achieve your goals and show the world that our capabilities have no limits.”
Valle stands as an example of the potential of women in sports, and serves as a reminder that the power of determination and dedication can break down any barriers in its path. As she continues her work to champion gender equality and human rights, the international community stands with her in her fight in the ring and out.