Elliott Andre Loonstra

Started: He first tried the sport at around age six, before returning to taekwondo again in 2018 at age 28. (Athlete, 27 Aug 2024) Reason: Initially interested in mixed martial arts [MMA], he discovered taekwondo after he was approached by his coach who asked him to give it a try. "My coach came to my house to fill scuba tanks and asked me if I wanted to fight, I said yes. When people ask me, 'What do you do?' I tell them I kick people. Immediately they look at me and are like, 'What?' And I say, 'No no no. I'm an athlete'." (Athlete, 27 Aug 2024, 20 Aug 2021; paralympic.org, 21 Jul 2020) Ambition: To continue competing in Para taekwondo. He has said he may also one day return to Para athletics. (Athlete, 27 Aug 2024) Milestones: He was Aruba's only representative in any sport at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. His appearance in Tokyo also made him the first Aruban taekwondo athlete to compete at the Paralympic Games. (SportsDeskOnline, 14 Aug 2024) He became the first athlete representing Aruba to win a medal at the Parapan American Games when he claimed bronze in the men's -80kg category at the 2023 edition of the tournament in Santiago, Chile. (Aruba Paralympic Committee Instagram page, 27 Nov 2023; SportsDeskOnline, 30 Jul 2024) Awards: He was flag bearer for Aruba at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. He performed the same role at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, and at the Parapan American Games in 2019 and 2023. (medias.paris2024.org, 28 Aug 2024; worldtaekwondo.org, 02 Sep 2021; lima2019.pe, 23 Aug 2019; santiago2023.org, 17 Nov 2023) He was named Best Male Para Taekwondo Athlete for 2023 by the Pan American Taekwondo Union. (Aruba Paralympic Committee Facebook page, 30 Jan 2024) Additional Info: TRAINING IN BRAZIL In 2018 he received an invitation to train at a taekwondo camp organised by the National Paralympic Committee Development Programme in Sao Paulo, Brazil. "It was a great experience because in Aruba when it comes to training it's just me and my coach. And although it's amazing to train with a great coach, it's just the two of us. It can get repetitive. When we went to Brazil, I got a lot of action and we made new friends so much so that one of the coaches there invited us back last year [2019] for about three months to train with them." (paralympic.org, 21 Jul 2020)

Sporting Relatives: His father Andre competed in motor sport [drag racing] in Aruba. His mother Jean Tromp competed in football and volleyball. (Athlete, 27 Aug 2024)