Sotacuro dreaming of Tokyo 2020 glory

“My biggest dream is to win a gold medal in Tokyo. It is not going to be easy for sure, but I trust my skills.”

“I am a fighter who never gives up; I discovered my legs when I lost my arms.”

There was no time to rest for Efrain Sotacuro after his Paralympic debut at Rio 2016. Following his debut Paralympic performance at Rio 2016. The Peruvian marathon runner immediately turned his attention to training for the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

The 26-year-old finished fourth in the men’s marathon T46 in Rio, a result he is hoping to improve on in three years time in Japan.

“I have clear goals for Lima 2019 and Tokyo 2020. But in order to achieve them, I need a lot of discipline and perseverance,” he said.

Peru have not won a Paralympic title since Sydney 2000, when swimmer Jaime Eulert topped the podium in the men’s 50m freestyle S3. But Sotacuro believes he can be the man to put an end to the South American country’s gold-medal drought.

“My biggest dream is to win a gold medal in Tokyo. It is not going to be easy for sure, but I trust my skills.”

Last April, Sotacuro ended fifth in the London Marathon, confirming his status as one of the world’s best. The following month, he was also introduced as one of the four official ambassadors for Lima 2019, a recognition of his recent successful performances.

“This makes me very happy. I try to be a better person every day and improve,” he said. “It makes me feel lots of pride to represent my country at international events, and competing on home soil will be double special.

“Participating at my maiden Paralympics last year was my greatest achievement so far but I do not want to feel satisfied with that. Instead, I feel more motivated to go for more.”