Vitor Tavares

Started: He took up the sport at age 17 in Curitiba, Brazil. (uninter.com, 11 Sep 2019; rededoesporte.gov.br, 13 Aug 2019) Reason: He was first enrolled in a football club by his father. He later took up mountain biking until he was invited to try Para badminton by a sports teacher in Curitiba, Brazil. "The sport changed my life in different ways. When I began it was just a hobby. I didn't imagine that it would have this magnitude. Then I became champion in my first national competition. Now I consider it seriously, as my profession." (olimpiadatododia.com.br, 01 Sep 2019; rededoesporte.gov.br, 13 Aug 2019) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (cpb.org.br, 20 Oct 2023) Awards: In 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022 he was named Para Badminton Player of the Year by the Brazilian Paralympic Committee. (Instagram profile, 08 Feb 2023, 08 Feb 2022; badminton.org.br, 18 Dec 2019, 05 Dec 2017; cpb.org.br, 16 Dec 2018)