At 57 years old, Salma Hayek is known as a successful actress. The artist, originally from Mexico, began her career acting in soap operas in her country and in 1993 took a big step towards success with her first Hollywood movie, titled ‘Mi vida loca’. Since then, fame embraced her and currently, she has more than 70 films in her career, in addition to her work as a producer.
PUBLICIDAD
What no one imagines is that the actress has a remarkable career as an athlete in her background, as she was recruited for the Olympics when she was a child, but she did not pursue it further because her father prohibited it.
PUBLICIDAD
The Mirror reported that the Mexican-American actress was a gymnast when she was a child. In her childhood, she dreamed of being great in this sport and was so good that she was recruited for the Olympics to represent Mexico, but her father Sami Hayek did not give her permission to go to the boarding school where she would be trained. The reason her father gave was that if she went to the boarding school, she would not have had a normal childhood.
“There was a path I didn’t take that haunted me for many years. When I was very young, I was recruited for the Olympic Games in gymnastics. My father refused to let me go to a boarding school at the age of nine in another city where I would train six hours a day,” Salma Hayek told OK! Magazine, as reported by The Mirror.
Due to the actress's age, she could have competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Would Salma Hayek have won Mexico's first Olympic medal? If she had excelled in sports as she currently does in acting, she would surely have brought that joy to her native country.
Salma Hayek and her participation in Paris 2024
Despite having her gymnastics career cut short, Salma Hayek fulfilled her dream of participating in the Olympics by carrying the Olympic Torch Relay in Paris 2024.
“Yesterday I had the honor of carrying the Olympic flame, a symbol of light, hope, peace, and unity. If you believe in these values, know that you were with me every step of the way. When I passed the torch and participated in the relay, I felt proud to represent the enduring spirit of the Olympic Games, bringing light, hope, and unity to all,” wrote the actress on her Instagram account, along with several photos of her carrying the torch and interacting with various people at the Olympic Games.
The artist walked through the palace of the Palace of Versailles, carrying the torch in a ceremonial white outfit with a train that she used to gather her hair.