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Abstract
Sport initiation is a fundamental stage for future athletic development, as it lays the motor, physical, and technical foundations. Understanding these early processes helps identify factors that facilitated or hindered development and influenced future performance. The objective was to analyze the factors that influenced the sport initiation of Ecuadorian race walkers who participated in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The study was conducted using a non-experimental, descriptive design with a qualitative approach and multiple case studies. Semi-structured interviews and content analysis were used to identify the experiences, conditions, and sociofamily characteristics that marked their initiation into race walking. The findings showed that sport initiation usually takes place in the school environment; continuity is sustained by family support; specialization in race walking is progressively consolidated with the support of coaches; and support from government entities appears after the first sporting results. In conclusion, the training process is based on a school–family–coach sequence that is strengthened by institutional support; it is recommended to strengthen school programs for sport initiation and early identification, coordinated with family and technical support.
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