Romero hopes Sao Paulo 2017 can give his career a boost

“The Youth Parapans are also important because they give young athletes a platform to showcase their abilities and, maybe later, reach a World Championships or Paralympic Games.”

Winning gold at the Youth Parapan American Games in Sao Paulo, Brazil, would be “great” for table tennis player Elias Romero.

But the Argentinian has set goals beyond the field of play; he seeks to continue growing both as an athlete and as a person.

“I will fight hard to win the continental title,” he said. “But I also want to keep improving as an athlete and get to know more about other cultures and become a better and more open-minded human being.

“The Youth Parapans are also important because they give young athletes a platform to showcase their abilities and, maybe later, reach a World Championships or Paralympic Games.”

This is going to be Romero´s second Youth Parapan American Games, after taking silver in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2013.

“I remember many things of that great experience as it was my first international event,” he said. “I was so nervous, but still managed to reach the podium. It was so important for me because thanks to that performance I was later called up to the senior national team.

“Buenos Aires 2013 helped me improve and motivated me to train hard every day. I learned to become a more independent person, but at the same time to work better within a team.”

Two years later, Romero qualified for his first Parapan American Games in Toronto, Canada, winning bronze in the men´s singles class 5.

“That was my best performance ever at an event, I felt so happy!” he said. “Toronto 2015 was another good chance to show to my compatriots and the world what I am capable of doing.”

Tokyo 2020 might be fast approaching, but Romero is already dreaming of competing at his first Paralympic Games. “That would be a dream come true, and cannot quite entirely imagine it,” he said.

“But it does not matter if I do not make it to Tokyo 2020, as long as I have the unique chance at some point later in my career to qualify for a Paralympics.”

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The 12 sports at Sao Paulo 2017 are athletics, boccia, football 5, football 7, goalball, judo, powerlifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis.

The 2017 Youth Parapan American Games will run until 25 March and feature a record over 800 athletes from 19 countries.

The last edition at Buenos Aires 2013 attracted more than 600 athletes from 16 countries, who competed across 10 sports. Brazil topped the medal table and 15 countries reached the podium at least once.

Barquisimeto, Venezuela, staged the inaugural edition in 2005, with athletes from 10 countries competing, whilst a total of 14 countries attended the event in Bogota, Colombia, in 2009.

For more information, visit Sao Paulo 2017’s website.