Henry Borges

Started: He got involved in judo at age nine in Montevideo, Uruguay. (Athlete, 07 Sep 2016) Reason: He was introduced to the sport at school. "Beyond medals, achievements and participation, what judo taught me was to seek a normal and ordinary life, like anyone else's. Having a job, a family and being able to be a totally autonomous person." (ladiaria.com.uy, 22 May 2021; Athlete, 07 Sep 2016) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Instagram profile, 05 Mar 2024) Milestones: At the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo he became the first athlete representing Uruguay to take part in four editions of the Paralympic Games. He also competed at the 2004 Games in Athens, the 2008 Games in Beijing, and the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. (SportsDeskOnline, 05 Mar 2024; espn.com.uy, 18 Feb 2024) Awards: He and swimmer Hanna Arias were Uruguay's flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (medias.paris2024.org, 28 Aug 2024) In 2020 he was named Best Para Athlete of the Year at the Charrua Awards in Montevideo, Uruguay. (ovaciondigital.com.uy, 23 Oct 2020) Additional Info: OCCUPATION He has worked as a judo coach for the government of the Artigas department in Uruguay. (zonamixta.uy, 12 Nov 2023) COUPLE GOAL His wife Mariana Mederos has also represented Uruguay in Para judo. The couple hope to establish a Para judo academy together in Uruguay. "The dream is to start a Paralympic judo school in our country. We want to give classes to people with a vision impairment. In order to do that, we need the appropriate space and time. Once we retire we want to leave our mark and let others continue with the legacy. We don't want the Paralympic judo flag to be lost in Uruguay." (paralympic.org, 03 Dec 2020)

Sporting Relatives: His wife Mariana Mederos represented Uruguay in Para judo at the 2022 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. (SportsDeskOnline, 05 Mar 2024; paralympic.org, 03 Dec 2020)