Shuttle Time to Olympics: The Story of El Salvador’s Barefoot Boy Wonder

Text by BWF

Small in stature but big in ambition, Uriel Francisco Canjura Artiga has gone from playing badminton barefoot on a mud court at the back of his mother’s house in rural El Salvador, to becoming the first to represent his country in the sport at an Olympic Games.

“I started playing in our backyard when I was nine years old, using heavy rackets,” Canjura Artiga said after his first match at Porte de la Chapelle Arena.

“It was a dirt court with lines painted with white ash – I remember my mum got up every morning with my stepfather to draw it. We played without shoes because the court is just dirt and I felt more comfortable, like beach football.

“Football is the first sport in El Salvador. Badminton isn’t so popular in Latin America, but soon I only wanted to practice badminton. I enjoyed playing there and it made me stronger in the end. It gave me better footwork and made me stronger in the legs.”

Canjura Artiga’s stepfather was a US citizen who had become a prominent figure in the El Salvadorian badminton community.

Noticing something special in his young protege, he began running an organised training session once a week on the mud court at the house in Suchitoto, as part of BWF’s Shuttle Time programme.

“When I didn’t have trainings, I’d hit the shuttlecock against the wall inside my house,” Canjura Artiga, who stands 1.63m tall, said.

“My mum said, ‘Don’t break the wall’, but I did because I hit it there every afternoon. You cannot win playing like this, but for me it was enough. Sometimes she was angry, but she knows I love badminton.”

By the age of 15, the mud court and the bedroom wall were no longer enough.

Canjura Artiga bid an emotional goodbye to his mother, packed his bags and moved to the capital city of San Salvador to train full time at the National Institute of Sports.

“It was very dangerous, because there were many guns there,” the now 23-year-old said.

“You cannot go out with your phone or money because it’s so dangerous. Luckily, they don’t know how much a badminton racket is worth. It’s US$150 or more, but they think more like 20 or 10.

“My mum was sad because I was so young. She’d say: ‘Take care, stay at home, and if you do go out, go with friends or people you know and don’t go out too late’.”

It was a similar warning to the one given to Kevin Cordon after he left home in neighbouring Guatemala to pursue the dream that would carry him all the way to the bronze-medal match at Tokyo 2020.

“I grew up watching Kevin – he’s the big player not only for Central America, but for all America,” Canjura Artiga said.

“When I was 15 years old, I never imagined playing against him. But for us, he’s the inspiration. A semifinal at the Olympics isn’t easy (but) he did that, so why can I not do the same? It’s a big responsibility, but I’m taking it step-by-step.”

Canjura Artiga lost both his Group M matches – 21-12 21-10 to Czech Jan Louda and 21-13 21-16 to 10th seed Loh Kean Yew.

“It’s an incredible experience. I never imagined being in a place like this, in a huge arena with all the best players in the world,” said Canjura Artiga. “It’s so difficult to get here, now I just want to enjoy it.”