In just a couple of weeks, the spotlight in Tokyo will shift to the best parathletes in the world as the 2020 Paralympic Games kick off. One of those athletes is Matthew Torres, a 20-year-old Fairfield University student from Ansonia.
“I did get started with swimming back in 2008 after watching Michael Phelps at the Olympic games,” said Torres when asked how he found his love for swimming. “Breaking all those records and getting medals left and right.”
Michael Phelps inspired a lot of future swimmers that year, but few like Torres.
He was born missing half his right leg, has deformities on both hands and has moderate hearing loss. But he nor his parents let that stand in the way of getting him in the water.
“I basically told them that I wanted to be like Michael and they just said ‘OK,’” said Torres.
Torres is the only son of Columbian immigrants. Their support has helped him take his swimming from the…
