Maria Salome Henao Sanchez

Reason: She played non-Para basketball for five years but stopped because she felt she was unable to progress in the sport. "My condition means that sometimes fatigue blocks your body and that happened to me. My body no longer wanted to respond to me despite the effort and that's why I said, 'No more'." She was then encouraged to try Para athletics by coach Anyela Rivas. "One day coach Anyela Rivas, who had already seen me, called my mother and told her to bring me to the track because they wanted to evaluate me to see if I decided on athletics. I didn't want to, but my mother encouraged me to try and I stayed here." (elcolombiano.com, 21 Apr 2024) Ambition: To win a gold medal at the Paralympic Games. (Athlete, 26 Aug 2024)