Liem4rvin Bon3vacia
One of our own
At the moment Curaçao has three officially confirmed athletes who will compete in Rio 2016 during the Summer Olympic Games. One of them is our talented runner, Liemarvin Bonevacia, born on April 5 in 1989 and raised by Marisol Bonevacia (mother) together with Elvin Bonevacia (father). At a relatively young age Liemarvin started to show a lot of passion for sports activities. It all started with baseball followed by soccer. After a few years of practicing soccer he was introduced to athletics by one of his younger brothers, Maiklin Bonevacia. This was surely a big turning point in Liemarvin’s life. Those who know him know that his life story is in one word truly INSPIRING. Hence, we will be covering several interviews with a few persons who really played an important role throughout his journey. To start off, we recently had a pleasant talk with his family, to be specific, his dear mom, dad, and brother.
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| Marisol Bonevacia (Mom) |
Marisol Bonevacia, whom gave birth to this talented athlete recalls him being very energetic since his younger days. While they were living in the Netherlands, neighbors were annoyed by his continuous running up and down the stairwell. Marisol recalls this with a smile on her face and further indicates she had to go outdoors to let him burn off all of his energy without disturbing anyone.
With regards to his education, Liemarvin had the honor to visit St. Lucia School. He was always the class clown at school. His mother showed understanding and indicated that his deeds were merely part of being a kid. After that he went to high school at Peter Stuyvesant College, which has now been renamed Kolegio Alejandro Paula.
Marisol tells the story of Liemarvin’s first experience at high school: The first thing one of his teachers asked him was: “Are you also one of those boys who are going to behave badly causing the school board to dismiss you?” He rapidly reassured the school teacher that he simply because he wants to finish his school and that he is not going to misbehave.
It was not long ago that Marisol was very ill and was admitted into the hospital. Liemarvin and his mom are very close and he missed her while she was away from home. With glassy eyes she told us how Liemarvin visited her every day at midnight. She still does not know how he did it. But he seemed to have worked his way around security.
“I need to go see my mom.” Liem4rvin Bon3vacia
Marisol remembers waking up and seeing his first born standing at her bed saying: “Mom I have come to pray with you; you have to remain strong because I am strong too.”
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| Elvin Bonevacia (Dad) |
It was a touching moment when Elvin, father of Liemarvin, shared with us what he went through on the same day that his first son was welcomed into this world. As sad as it may sound, his boss did not allow him to go to the hospital to experience this special moment with his wife.
“I decided to resign and walked away…”
Elvin Bonevacia
Without thinking twice he immediately submitted his resignation letter and went straight to his newly born son. This courageous act certainly proves once more that the love of a parent goes beyond one’s imagination. Elvin talks about how much alike the two of them are; they both have much perseverance. He admits that Liemarvin has proven to have even more determination than himself since he has been overcoming barriers all around the world.
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| Yumailkin Bonevacia (Brother) |
Elvin never doubted in his son. Every time Liemarvin went to school, Elvin had some serious talks with him. He constantly reminded Liemarvin that he can do anything he sets his mind on, especially at school, as long as he stops joking around. Elvin noticed that Liemarvin started to perform better at school from the time that he started to run.
As for Rio 2016 he is convinced that Liemarvin will take either the first or second place. He is blown away by his son’s continuous perseverance and he is sure that he will make it big time.
Yumaiklin Bonevacia, Liemarvin’s little brother describes his brother as a jokey pal who is very open and ready to give a helping hand as long as it contributes to a positive cause. Yumaiklin told us how it all started. Each of them was practicing a different sport. Their mom was not happy with the many bruises Liemarvin was getting while practicing soccer in the Victory Boys team.
“Na atletiek tin yen ko’i mira…” Yumaiklin
Given the circumstances, Yumaiklin asked his oldest brother to join him on the athletic team and joked about the pretty things he would be able to admire once he was there. This is how an innocent joke resulted in an encouraging journey.
When Liemarvin and Yumaiklin were little kids, their mother kept them separate because of Liemarvin’s behavior at the time. She acknowledges the fact that Liemarvin was a quick learner and actually had no problem with his classes. The only issue was his attitude.
Rudsel Martina was one of the first who stood by Liemarvin and made him aware that if he wanted to move forward in life and achieve his goals, he needed to become serious about it and change his attitude and behavior. It is after these empowering moments that Maiklin began to notice how his brother changed and became the person he is today.
From the bottom of his heart, Maiklin’s deepest desire is for his brother to return home with the first place Olympic medal. He has faith that he will give his utmost to break his own personal record and the Olympic record.
While remaining in anticipation of Liemarvin’s race in Rio 2016, we will conduct several interviews with a few of the most important people in his life. We have definitely learned that he is not only one of our own, but he is also a true example for many youngsters out there. Regardless of his behavior as a kid, he chose to follow the right path. And as a result, look where he’s heading to: RIO 2016!
Watch the video interview.
