Alan Oliveira Becker Fonteles

Started: He took up Para athletics at age eight as part of a sports introduction programme in Belem, Brazil. (cpb.org.br, 08 Mar 2013; atletasperere.com.br, 28 Mar 2013) Reason: He wanted to run, so his mother Claudia asked coach Suzete Montalvao if her son could train with the non-Para athletes. (atletasperere.com.br, 28 Mar 2013) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Instagram profile, 13 Jul 2024) Awards: He carried the Olympic torch through Brasilia, Brazil during the relay for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (rio2016.com, 03 May 2016) He was named the 2013 Brazilian Athletics Competitor of the Year by the Brazilian Paralympic Committee [CPB]. (esporteessencial.com.br, 12 Dec 2013) He was named the Best Male Athlete at the CPB's 2012 Paralympic Awards. (globoesporte.globo.com, 19 Dec 2012) Following the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, he received the Order of Merit from the Para state government in Brazil. (diarioonline.com.br, 15 Sep 2012) Additional Info: PROSTHETICS He ran with wooden prosthetics until age 15 when he met Brazilian Para triathlete Rivaldo Martins at a race in Belem, Brazil. Martins contacted the Challenged Athletes Foundation [CAF] in San Diego, CA, United States of America, and helped him to obtain specialised running prosthetics. He raced with his first pair of carbon fibre prosthetics in May 2007 and a month later became Brazilian champion, which secured his selection for the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. (cpb.org.br, 08 Mar 2013; atletasperere.com.br, 28 Mar 2013)