Rey Melchor Dimas Vasquez

Started: He took up the sport at age 30 in 2017 at the High Performance Centre [CEARE] in Panama City, Panama. (Athlete, 12 Jul 2019, 05 Dec 2017, 28 Aug 2024; impresa.prensa.com, 08 Sep 2018) Reason: At a young age he tried to stay active in order to not gain weight, and played football. In 2017 when he needed a new prosthetic he got in contact with the Panamanian Paralympic Committee, who suggested he try the sport. "I was asked if I liked lifting weights, and I said, 'Yes'. They told me about the discipline and I liked it." (prensa.com, 17 Aug 2021; Athlete, 12 Jul 2019, 28 Aug 2024) Ambition: He wants to inspire young people to try Para sports and create change in their lives. (Athlete, 28 Aug 2024) Awards: He and athletics competitor Iveth del Rosario Valdes Romero were Panama's flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (medias.paris2024.org, 28 Aug 2024) Additional Info: BARBER He learned how to cut hair at age 12 and has acted as a barber for his fellow members of the Panamanian delegation at competitions, including the 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile. "Being a barber I learned about the discipline of Para powerlifting and although now I dedicate myself more to powerlifting, I have not lost the habit of cutting hair and making beards, and that is why I always travel with all my accessories. I cut the hair of the boys in the delegation and make them look handsome." (santiago2023.org, 21 Nov 2023)