Fabio Torres

Started: He took up the sport at the Sanitation Battalion of the Colombian Army in Bogota, Colombia. He began competing in 2009. (Athlete, 13 Jul 2019; eltiempo.com, 27 Apr 2016) Reason: He used to play football before acquiring his impairment. After losing his leg he tried sitting volleyball, swimming and athletics before starting to focus on powerlifting. "I have always enjoyed lifting weights." (eltiempo.com, 27 Apr 2016) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (divri.gov.co, 22 Feb 2024) Milestones: He became the first powerlifter representing Colombia to win a medal at the Paralympic Games when he claimed bronze in the men's 97kg category at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. (SportsDeskOnline, 02 Jul 2024) Awards: He received an acknowledgement from the Colombian Army in recognition of his participation at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (paradeportes.co, 19 Oct 2016) Additional Info: FOUNDATION In February 2020 he and his wife Arelis launched a foundation called 'Gestion, Amor y Vida' [Management, Love and Life], which aims to help people with impairments, senior citizens and children in need in Bogota, Colombia. The foundation also delivered food to those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia. "We are doing this so that many people who live off their day to day work, who used to sell fruit or other kinds of food in the streets, and can no longer do so, have something to eat. There are many people with disabilities who are also athletes, and we support them. We do it without resting, but now we need support and collaboration from everyone to continue helping more people. In the future we want to find and help more people in Colombia. We want to expand the foundation throughout the country." (paralympic.org, 14 May 2020, 05 Mar 2021)