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Daniel Fernando Velasquez Lecointe, Special Olympics Guatemala athlete

Daniel Fernando Velasquez Lecointe

Daniel began showing interest in sports in 2016. He was invited to practice swimming at the Neurological Institute of Guatemala, the educational institution he still attends. He has gone on to participate in other sports like soccer, bocce, and athletics. When he became a Special Olympics athlete, he was taught a new sport—badminton—which he fell in love with and began to focus on.

In 2016, Daniel was on the verge of reaching class III obesity. He noticed that his weight was affecting his performance. He became easily tired and was not fast enough to respond to his opponents. In February 2018, he attended a Healthy Athletes event organized by Special Olympics, where he was screened and provided with the necessary support and follow-up to start a healthier life. After a year, Daniel reached his ideal weight. Day by day he observed that his training performance was improving. In 2019, he was selected to participate in Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019, where he is proud to have won a silver medal. In 2023, he won third place in the competitions to qualify for Special Olympics World Games in Berlin.

Seeing his results as an athlete and the change in his daily life, Daniel has sought to encourage those around him to play sports and eat healthier, hence he became a Health Messenger. He was admired by many for his perseverance to reach an ideal weight and maintain it until today.

Apart from his sports activities, Daniel loves music, dancing, and movies. This is what he does while he enjoys spending time with his family.

Health Messengers 2024

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