Alberto Caroly Abarza Diaz

Started: He first tried swimming at age two in Santiago, Chile. At age 10 he began competing at the Teleton Rehabilitation Centre in Chile. (Athlete, 10 Sep 2019; fmdos.cl, 02 Sep 2016) Reason: He began swimming therapy to help his impairment. "Water is the only space where I feel I do not have an impairment because I do not depend on anybody. It's just the water and me." (Athlete, 10 Sep 2019; Teleton Chile YouTube channel, 01 Dec 2018; emol.com, 30 Dec 2017; economiaynegocios.cl, 16 Dec 2017) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (alairelibre.cl, 06 Aug 2023) Milestones: He became the second athlete to win a Paralympic gold medal for Chile, and the NPC's first in swimming, when he triumphed in the men's S2 100m backstroke at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. His three medals in Tokyo also made him the first Chilean athlete to win more than one medal at the Games. (SportsDeskOnline, 02 Jul 2024) Awards: In 2021 he received the Best of the Best Award in Para sport from the Chilean Sports Journalists Circle. (eldeportero.cl, 21 Dec 2021) He and Para athlete Francisca Mardones were flag bearers for Chile at the opening ceremony at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (deportes13.cl, 20 Aug 2021) He was the Chilean flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru. (andina.pe, 24 Aug 2019) He won the 2018 National Sports Award in Chile. (latercera.com, 19 Dec 2019; swimchile.cl, 19 Dec 2019; latercera.com, 21 May 2019) He was named the 2018 Para Athlete of the Year by the Sports Journalists' Circle in Chile. (alairelibre.cl, 17 Dec 2018) In 2017 and 2018 he was named Para Athlete of the Year by the Chilean Olympic Committee. (elperiscopio.cl, 12 Dec 2018; emol.com, 30 Dec 2017) Additional Info: RETIREMENT THOUGHTS He expected to retire from the sport after the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, but after claiming three medals at the Games, including one gold, he changed his plans. "I always said that I would retire after Tokyo. Before winning the gold medal I said, 'This is it'. I struggled with the training process due to the [COVID-19] pandemic. But once I won a gold and two silver medals I looked back and thought, 'Now what? There is nothing bigger' and started to think about it. But my daughter told me to keep on practising until I don't enjoy it anymore. So I will continue until there's no more joy and I don't feel competitive." (alairelibre.cl, 06 Aug 2023) US INVITATION In 2020 he declined an invitation from the United States of America to join their national Para swimming team. "They realised I had not competed for Chile for one year [due to the COVID-19 pandemic]. They offered me an apartment in New York, training, medical staff and a monthly wage, bigger than the Chilean one. But this is not about money. It's a good opportunity but I love my country for better or for worse. And I want to make a difference from Chile." (vergara240.udp.cl, 03 Sep 2020)