Jaime Aranguiz

Started: He took up the sport in 2014. (La Tercera YouTube channel, 16 Nov 2023) Reason: He was first invited to try wheelchair handball but he switched to Para badminton. "I couldn't be a professional athlete in wheelchair handball. I knew it was going to be complicated because I would depend on a team. [But then] I discovered Para badminton." Coach Jose Munoz helped him to start a career in the sport. "I said, 'I know you don't know anything about Para badminton and I don't know anything about badminton, what do you think about both of us discovering something new?' And he said, 'Fantastic, let's do it!'" (La Tercera YouTube channel, 16 Nov 2023) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Athlete, 26 Aug 2024) Milestones: He became the first badminton player representing Chile to win a medal at the Parapan American Games when he claimed gold in the WH2 singles event at the 2023 Games in Santiago, Chile. (SportsDeskOnline, 24 Jun 2024; radio.uchile.cl, 02 Dec 2023) Awards: In 2022 and 2023 he was named Para Badminton Player of the Year by the Sports Journalists Circle in Chile. (eldeportero.cl, 13 Dec 2023; santiago2023.org, 05 Nov 2022) Additional Info: LOSS OF COACH, TEAMMATE In 2023 his longtime coach Jose Munoz and his Chilean national teammate Constancio Cancino both passed away. "After losing my coach and Constancio I promised that all my competitions will be dedicated to them. Everything I achieve in the sport will be dedicated to them." (Instagram profile, 27 Mar 2024; theclinic.cl, 27 Nov 2023) OTHER ACTIVITIES Alongside his sporting career he runs a confectionery business with his partner Esther. He has also learned how to string his own rackets, which became another source of income. "Badminton is an expensive sport as it has constant costs [such as stringing rackets]. So I asked myself, 'What if I buy a [stringing] machine?' And I learnt how to string by watching videos on the internet. It began as a need and later I was asked how much I would charge to do it for others." (radiouc.cl, 17 Nov 2023; La Tercera YouTube channel, 16 Nov 2023)