CARACAS, July 28 (Reuters) – José Gregorio Montilla began swimming when he was seven years old to help him recover from operations to treat a joint condition called arthrogryposis.
Now, the 20-year-old Venezuelan journalism student hopes to take home a medal in the 50-meter breaststroke at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, which begin on August 24.
“We can achieve everything that we set out to achieve,” Montilla said after a recent training session in Caracas.
“It takes time, it takes patience, dedication, commitment to get to the Games,” he added with a smile.
Montilla qualified to compete in Tokyo after swimming the 50 breaststroke with a time of 1:41 at the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Montilla, the youngest of three siblings, usually trains for an hour and a half every day from Tuesday to Saturday. But since qualifying for the Tokyo Paralympic Games, he has doubled his daily training.
Venezuelan Paralympic swimmer José Gregorio Montilla trains during a training session in hopes of winning gold in the 50m breaststroke at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 20, 2021. The photo was taken on July 20, 2021. July 2021. REUTERS / Leonardo Fernandez Viloria
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He will again face the competition of Mexican swimmers Diego López Díaz and Marcos Zarate, gold and silver medalists at the Parapan American Games in Lima, as well as competitors from Thailand, Brazil, Israel and Canada.
A total of 25 Venezuelans will participate in the Tokyo Paralympic Games, which include weightlifting, judo and cycling.
Oriana Teran, 21, says she is still trying to control her excitement at the idea of going to the Paralympic Games.
He will compete in an adapted form of weightlifting for athletes with disabilities, in the body weight category of 45 kilograms (99 pounds).
Sports activities not only benefit parathletes’ bodies, Teran said, but “also feed our souls.”
Report by Efraín Otero and Vivian Sequera Edited by Paul Simao
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