Wallison Andre Fortes

Started: In 2018 he took up Para swimming. He switched to Para athletics in 2019 and began competing the following year. (midianinja.org, 28 May 2024; Facebook page, 24 Apr 2024) Reason: He had played football for nine years before he acquired his impairment. He began researching Para sport after his amputation. "Since I was a child, I dreamed of being a high-performance athlete. My father encouraged me to play sport again and [at first] it was Para swimming. [Getting involved in Para sport] was very important in my life, as I met people with much greater disabilities than mine and it showed me how important it was to know more stories of how they overcame their difficulties." (anoticia.com, 29 May 2024; midianinja.org, 28 May 2024; Facebook page, 24 Apr 2024) Ambition: To compete at the Paralympic Games in 2024 and 2028. (gauchazh.clicrbs.com.br, 02 Sep 2022) Additional Info: WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT In 2024 he made his world championship debut in Kobe, Japan, and won gold in the T64 200m event. At the same time his home in Eldorado do Sul, Brazil, was severely affected by floods. "It was a great debut at the world championships. It was also a very difficult moment, seeing our house badly affected by the rain, and my parents having to go through that situation." (cpb.org.br, 25 May 2024; gauchazh.clicrbs.com.br, 25 May 2024)