{{short description|Spanish figure skater (born 2000)}} {{EngvarB|date=May 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}} {{family name hatnote|Matos|Romero|lang=Spanish}} {{Infobox figure skater | name = Valentina Matos | image = Valentina Matos 2019 Challenge Cup.jpg | imagesize = | caption = Valentina Matos at the 2019 Challenge Cup | fullname = Valentina Matos Romero | altname = | country = {{ESP}} | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2000|9|28|df=yes}} | birth_place = Santo Domingo,<br>Dominican Republic | hometown = | height = {{height|m=1.76}} | beganskating = 2007 | retired = | discipline = Women's singles | medalrecord = {{Figure skating infobox medals|nationals=Spanish |NC={{FS medal|g|NC|nationals=Spanish|2017|Vielha|w}}{{FS medal|g|NC|nationals=Spanish|2019|Logroño|w}}{{FS medal|g|NC|nationals=Spanish|2020|San Sebastián|w}} }} }}
'''Valentina Matos Romero''' (born 28 September 2000) is a figure skater. Born in the Dominican Republic, she represents Spain in ladies singles. She is the 2019 Open d'Andorra champion and a three-time Spanish national champion (2016, 2018, 2019). She has competed in the final segment at one ISU Championship.
== Personal life == Valentina Matos Romero was born on 28 September 2000 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.<ref name=FMDI/><ref name=ISU-1718/> She is of Venezuelan descent and arrived in Spain as a one-year-old.<ref name=Marca161220/> After finishing secondary school, she began studying at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid through distance education. In 2022 she stepped away from professional figure skating, studying abroad at Hanyang University in South Korea. In 2023, Matos began a PhD in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Her research focuses on leveraging AI for digital pathology to identify precursor lesions in pancreatic cancer.<ref name=HE180920/>
== Career ==
=== Early years === Matos began learning to skate in 2008.<ref name=ISU-1718/> She won the novice ladies' title at the Spanish Championships in December 2014. Her junior international debut came in September 2015, at the Lombardia Trophy. In December 2015, she became the Spanish national junior silver medalist.
=== 2016–2017 season === In October 2016, Matos competed for the first time on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series. In November, making her senior international debut, she won silver at the Open d'Andorra. The following month, she outscored Sonia Lafuente by 6.09 points for the senior ladies' title at the Spanish Championships.<ref name=Marca161220/>
In January 2017, Matos competed at the European Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic, but did not advance to the final segment.<ref name=Marca170125/> She qualified to the free skate and finished 24th overall at the 2017 World Junior Championships, held in March in Taipei, Taiwan.
=== 2017–2018 season === Spain assigned Matos to compete at the 2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, the final qualifying opportunity for the 2018 Winter Olympics.<ref name=Marca170824/> Due to an ankle injury,<ref name=HE180920/> she withdrew before the start of the event. She placed 33rd at the 2018 European Championships in Moscow, Russia. She was coached by Carolina Sanz, Ivan Saez, and Jordi Lafarga at La Nevera in Madrid.<ref name=ISU-1718/>
=== 2018–2019 season === Ahead of the 2018–2019 season, Matos decided to relocate to Italy to train with Barbara Luoni at IceLab in Bergamo.<ref name=HE180920/>
== Programs == {|class=wikitable style=text-align:center ! Season ! Short program ! Free skating |- ! 2019–2020 <br> <ref name=ISU-1920/> | * You Give Love a Bad Name <br>{{small| performed by Bon Jovi <br> choreo. by Massimo Scali, Corrado Giordani }} | * Caprichio Arabe <br>{{small| by Francisco Tárrega }} * Invierno Porteno <br>{{small| by Astor Piazzolla }} * Le di Caza Alcance <br>{{small| by Estrella Morente <br> choreo. by Massimo Scali, Corrado Giordani }} |- ! 2017–2019 <br> <ref name=HE180920/><ref name=ISU-1718/> | * My Immortal <br>{{small| by Evanescence }} | * The Last Coup <br>{{small| performed by New Tango Orchestra }} * Garganta con Arena <br>{{small| performed by Pasion Vega }} |- ! 2016–2017 <br> <ref name=ISU-1617/> | * Hallelujah <br>{{small| performed by Alexandra Burke }} | * GoldenEye <br>{{small| by Éric Serra }} * GoldenEye <br>{{small| performed by Tina Turner }} |}
== Competitive highlights == ''CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix''
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- ! colspan="6" style="background-color: #ffdead; " align="center" | International<ref name=ISU-VM/> |- ! Event ! 15–16 ! 16–17 ! 17–18 ! 18–19 ! 19–20 |- | align=left | Worlds || || || || 34th || |- | align=left | Europeans || || 33rd || 33rd || 31st || 28th |- | align=left | {{small|CS}} Alpen Trophy || || || || 19th || |- | align=left | {{small|CS}} Finlandia || || || || 15th || |- | align=left | {{small|CS}} Golden Spin || || || || || WD |- | align=left | {{small|CS}} Lombardia || || || || 20th || 10th |- | align=left | {{small|CS}} Nebelhorn || || || WD || || |- | align=left | {{small|CS}} Warsaw Cup || || || || || 24th |- | align=left | Bavarian Open || || 14th || || || |- | align=left | Denis Ten Memorial || || || || || 9th |- | align=left | Golden Bear || || || || 15th || 10th |- | align=left | Ice Star || || || || 13th || |- | align=left | Challenge Cup || || 11th || 14th || 9th || |- | align=left | Open d'Andorra || || bgcolor=silver | 2nd || || bgcolor=gold | 1st || |- | align=left | Santa Claus Cup || || 4th || || || |- | align=left | Universiade || || || || 14th || |- ! colspan="6" style="background-color: #ffdead; " align="center" | International: Junior<ref name=ISU-VM/> |- | align=left | Junior Worlds || || 24th || || || |- | align=left | {{small|JGP}} Germany || || 17th || || || |- | align=left | Lombardia Trophy || 16th || || || || |- | align=left | Santa Claus Cup || 26th || || || || |- | align=left | Hellmut Seibt || 18th || || || || |- ! colspan="6" style="background-color: #ffdead; " align="center" | National<ref name="ISU-VM" /> |- | align="left" | Spanish Champ.|| bgcolor="silver" | 2nd J || bgcolor="gold" | 1st || || bgcolor="gold" | 1st || bgcolor="gold" | 1st |}
== References == {{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=ISU-VM>{{cite web |url= http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs_cr_00035268.htm |title= Competition Results: Valentina MATOS |publisher= International Skating Union |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20180925193022/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs_cr_00035268.htm |archivedate= 25 September 2018 |url-status= live }}</ref>
<ref name=ISU-1617>{{cite web |url= http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00035268.htm |title= Valentina MATOS: 2016/2017 |publisher= International Skating Union |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20170523084547/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00035268.htm |archivedate= 23 May 2017 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
<ref name=ISU-1718>{{cite web |url= http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00035268.htm |title= Valentina MATOS: 2017/2018 |publisher= International Skating Union |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20180529123149/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00035268.htm |archivedate= 29 May 2018 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
<ref name=ISU-1920>{{cite web |url= http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00035268.htm |title= Valentina MATOS: 2017/2018 |publisher= International Skating Union |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20190918210848/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00035268.htm |archivedate= 18 September 2019 |url-status= live }}</ref>
<ref name=FMDI>{{cite web |url= https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/53809152/historial-patinadores-fmdi-valentina-matos-romero |title= Historial Patinadores FMDI Valentina Matos Romero |language= Spanish |publisher= Federación Madrileña de Deportes de Invierno }}</ref>
<ref name=Marca161220>{{cite news |url= http://www.marca.com/deportes-invierno/2016/12/20/58590853468aeb1a1e8b4593.html |title=El futuro se llama Valentina Matos |language= Spanish |trans-title= The future is named Valentina Matos |first= Pedro |last= Lamelas |work= Marca |date= 20 December 2016 }}</ref>
<ref name=Marca170125>{{cite news |url= http://www.marca.com/deportes-invierno/2017/01/25/5888cc37e5fdea56568b4615.html |title=La falta de experiencia puede con Valentina Matos |language= Spanish |trans-title= Valentina Matos affected by lack of experience |first= Pedro |last= Lamelas |work= Marca |date= 25 January 2017 }}</ref>
<ref name=Marca170824>{{cite news |url= http://www.marca.com/deportes-invierno/2017/08/24/599f0368468aebd02e8b457c.html |title= Valentina Matos luchará por la plaza olímpica en patinaje artístico |language= Spanish |trans-title= Valentina Matos will fight for an Olympic spot in figure skating |first= Pedro |last= Lamelas |work= Marca |date= 24 August 2017 }}</ref>
<ref name=HE180920>{{cite news |url= http://hieloespanol.es/1/en_el_icelab_he_encontrado_un_sistema_entrenamiento_global_3055626.html |title= "En el IceLab he encontrado un sistema entrenamiento global" |language= Spanish |website= hieloespanol.es |date= 20 September 2018 |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20180925000626/http://hieloespanol.es/1/en_el_icelab_he_encontrado_un_sistema_entrenamiento_global_3055626.html |archivedate= 25 September 2018 |url-status= live }}</ref>
}}
== External links == * {{isu name | id= 00035268 | name= Valentina Matos }}
{{NavigationSpanishFigureSkatingChampionsWomen}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matos, Valentina}} Category:2000 births Category:Dominican Republic emigrants to Spain Category:Spanish female single skaters Category:Living people Category:Spanish people of Venezuelan descent Category:Sportspeople of Venezuelan descent Category:Sportspeople from Santo Domingo Category:Figure skaters from Madrid Category:Competitors at the 2019 Winter Universiade Category:21st-century Spanish sportswomen