[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 204 (Thursday, December 14, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1707]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF CITALLI ORTIZ AS THE 2017 WOMEN'S YOUTH 
                             WORLD CHAMPION

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RAUL RUIZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 14, 2017

  Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the determination, 
perseverance, and accomplishments of Citlalli Ortiz, a young 
constituent who became the first female boxer in the Coachella Valley 
to win the gold medal for Team USA in the 2017 Women's Youth World 
Championships.
  Citlalli is a Coachella Valley High School student with an inspiring 
commitment and passion for boxing. Her dedication to giving her all in 
the ring has led her to become the first female boxer from Coachella 
Valley Boxing Club gym to achieve such high recognition.
  She began boxing when she was a little girl, inspired by her father, 
Alex Ortiz, and her older sister, who was also a boxer. Her training 
started when a couple of boys were teasing and punching Citlalli. Her 
father saw this and took the opportunity to teach her how to use some 
boxing moves for self-defense, including the ``one-two'' move. Citlalli 
defended herself successfully against the boys, and decided to become a 
boxer, following in her sister's footsteps.
  Citlalli's road to success hasn't always been easy. In the beginning, 
trainers did not want to work with her due to her weight. As a result, 
her father decided to become her trainer and empowered her to fight for 
her dreams. After long hours of training in the gym, Citlalli achieved 
her first victory at the age of 12 at the Desert Showdown.
  Citlalli brings agility and strength to the ring in every fight. She 
has won medals and beat national champions at the 2016 USA Junior and 
Youth Boxing Championships in Nevada, the 2016 USA Boxing Junior 
Olympic, and the Prep National and Youth Open Championships in Texas. 
Citlalli is also the 2016 Oxnard National PAL Champion, 3x Desert 
Showdown Champion, and the 2015 Gene Lewis Champion. To this day, she 
remains undefeated.
  Throughout her 8 years in boxing, Citlalli has witnessed a large 
gender disparity in the ring. She is committed to become a professional 
boxer so she can represent women in boxing. Citlalli's greatest 
inspirations are female professional boxers such as Cecilia Braekhus 
and Hannah Gabriel. Her goal is to represent USA at the 2020 Olympics 
in Tokyo.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Citlalli Ortiz. On behalf of 
California's 36th Congressional District, I commend her accomplishments 
and passion for boxing. I look forward to her many more victories in 
the ring.

                          ____________________