Dominican Paralympic swimmer Marcos Jiménez pictured swimming. GETTY IMAGES

Paralympic swimmer Marcos Jiménez will compete in three events at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games after his performances over the last year saw him unexpectedly selected to compete and now the 19-year-old is being dubbed the future of Dominican Paralympic swimming.

With the dust settled on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, it is time to turn our eyes to the Paralympics. The Paralympic Flame was lit in Stoke Mandeville and is now travelling across France until it arrives in Paris on 28 August to light the cauldron in the Tuileries Gardens and kick off the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Countries will be looking to a variety of stars in different fields for their hopes of Paralympic gold medals and in the Dominican Republic, they have a new 19-year-old who has recently emerged as one of the Paralympic swimmers to keep a close eye on.

Among the Dominican Republic's largest-ever Paralympic Games delegation of 12 athletes is Marcos Jiménez. The 19-year-old, who has a physical motor disability limiting movement in his legs, will make his Olympic debut on 2 September in the 100m breaststroke before competing in two other events.

Born in the Villa Francisca neighbourhood of the Dominican Republic's capital Santo Domingo, Jiménez qualified for the Paralympic Games after only two years of high-performance sporting life having achieved top 5 finishes in two events at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games late last year.

After his race in the 100m Breaststroke event (Sport Class SB4) he will then represent the Dominican Republic in the 50m Backstroke (Sport Class S5) and the 50m Freestyle (Sport Class S5).



Jiménez recently spoke out about his shock when he was told that he had been selected for the games by his coach Ana María Peralta.

"Ana María told me that I got the bipartite to enter the games; I didn't believe that I was going to get this far" he said. 

Meanwhile, Ana María Peralta, who has trained Jiménez since 2018 talked up Jiménez's talents saying "Marcos‘ talent is innate, he learned in two years what many take five and six." 

Peralta went on to say that given the results and quick learning curve he has shown, Jiménez is looking likely to be the future of Dominican Para-swimming and could be a force to be reckoned with in Los Angeles 2028.

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will take place from Wednesday 28 August until Sunday 8 September.