Amaris Vazquez, a 2023 graduate of Liberty High School, will be competing in the 2024 Paralympics later this month in Paris. She now attends the University of Missouri.
Unlike most of her classmates at the time, Amaris Vazquez didn’t attend the Class of 2023 graduation at Liberty High School.
Vazquez had a good reason, though. At the time, she was competing for Puerto Rico in the Junior Pan American Games in Bogota, Columbia, where she earned a bronze medal in the long jump.
Fast forward just over a year and Vazquez, who just finished her freshman year at the University of Missouri, is readying for another competition.
This one carries just a bit more weight as Vazquez will again be representing the country of her birth – this time in the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.
Amaris Vazquez, a 2023 graduate of Liberty High School, will be competing in the 2024 Paralympics later this month in Paris. She now attends the University of Missouri.
“Being called a Paralympian is surreal,” Vazquez said. “It’s a dream come true, and it definitely hasn’t hit me yet that I am one. I have been able to represent Puerto Rico all around the world. I have been to many competitions like the world championships and the para-Pan American games, but this will be my first Paralympic games.”
Vazquez was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and had the lower portion of her right leg amputated when she was a year old after it was determined a severe club foot could not be corrected with surgery. Her family moved to Missouri when she was two to receive better medical services.
Shortly after the surgery, Vazquez received her first prosthetic, and she hasn’t let her disability slow her down. As a youth, Vazquez joined the Disabled Athletes Sports Association (DASA) and has taken part in such sports as swimming, track, and taekwondo.
“I was always active,” Vazquez said. “I did many sports but track and swimming were my main sports. They (DASA) welcomed me with open arms to start my sports. I competed in swimming and track around the states for DASA for eight years.”
Vazquez’s mother, Siomari Collazo, said that seeing her daughter overcome challenges has been a great source of family pride for herself, her husband Jose, and the rest of Vazquez’s relatives.
Collazo added that while seeing her daughter overcome challenges has, indeed, been special, it’s how she has gone about life’s journey, with such fervor, that has brought everyone around her even more joy.
“We are overjoyed to see her representing our beautiful Puerto Rico,” Collazo said. “We are proud of the young woman she is and that she goes through life with a clear purpose and vision. She is a kind human, with a great commitment to support others. We always taught her to use her talents in positive ways and to not miss opportunities to be a blessing to others. Seeing her work hard and (seeing her) overcome challenges to reach the highest platform for a para-athlete and to (to see her) spread awareness of the possibilities and how you can achieve your goals is a blessing. It has always been our prayer that Amaris’s life will have purpose and impact, our prayers have been and will continue to be answered.”
Vazquez’s journey to the Puerto Rican national track team, where she runs the 100 and the 200, and competes in the long jump began two years ago when her family reached out to the Puerto Rican paralympic committee to indicate her interest in representing the country.
“We talked a lot on the phone and on Zoom and we officially met in May of 2022 at a track competition in Arizona,” Vazquez said. “That’s when they officially welcomed me to the team. I leave for the Paralympics on August 25th. My first day of competition is the 31st for the long jump. I have qualified for 100, 200, and long jump but we are unsure if I will do all three at the games. We know I will do the long jump, for sure.”
Vazquez, who will be working on her studies, even while in Paris, said she aims to get a degree in Social Work before heading to law school.
She added that she’ll head into the competition focused on the things she can control.
“My hopes for Paris are really to get personal best in all my events, but to also just enjoy the experience of being at the Paralympics and take it all in,” Vazquez said. “Being only 19 I hope that these won’t be the only games in my future. I want to represent Puerto Rico for as long as I can. The paralympic journey is definitely nerve-inducing but I’m just trying to stay focused on my training and be in the moment. (To) not think ahead is my plan of action. It’s a combination of excitement and nerves.”
She added that, while she’ll have to work hard while on the track, during the events which will be held at the Stade de France, she knows that it’s more than just her work which will go into everything she’s done.
“The support of my friends and family is the reason I am where I am today,” Vazquez said. “They are the reason I’ve been able to make it this far. They have helped me in so many ways and having those behind me supporting me helps me go forward.”
