Born to run

Aug. 21, 2024
Contact: Janese Heavin, [email protected]
Photos by Abbie Lankitus and Sam O'Keefe
Video by Mizzou Visual Productions

Amaris Vazquez Collazo was born to run. And jump. And shatter any stereotypes, expectations, doubts or other preconceived notions people have about individuals with disabilities.

The University of Missouri sophomore was also born with a foot deformity that led to amputation - a circumstance that would become the catalyst for her journey to the Paralympic Games. Comparable to the Olympics, the Paralympics showcase the world's most elite athletes through alternating winter and summer games.

This month, Vazquez Collazo will represent Puerto Rico at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, where she'll bear the country's flag and compete in the long jump, 100-meter and 200-meter dash.

"Since I was 8, I've been telling everybody I know that my goal was to go to the Paris Games in 2024," she said. "When I got that confirmation call that I'm actually going - I don't even think it's hit me yet. These goals that I've had for myself since I was a child are actually coming true."

A natural athlete

Vazquez Collazo received her first prosthetic leg at the age of 2. She was a natural athlete.

"I started moving instantly - it was like I was waiting to walk," she said. "My parents say I was active from that point on."

When Vazquez Collazo was 3, her family moved from Cayey, Puerto Rico, to Lake St. Louis to have access to better medical care. At 8, she discovered the Disabled Athlete Sports Association, or DASA. She competed in both swimming and track and field for eight years before focusing on running and the long jump.

"When I jump - although it's very technical and I have to think about landing and everything - I get a freeing feeling along with the adrenaline," Vazquez Collazo said. "It's the most satisfying feeling when you're in the air and you have time to just be like 'I'm doing this. This is it.'"

In track and field, her victories at various competitions began to get noticed. Two years ago, representatives from Team Puerto Rico invited her to compete at a meet in Arizona. By the end of the event, she'd made the team.

"It was incredible to not only become part of a community of other para-athletes but also to become more connected to my home country," she said.

Last year, Vazquez Collazo made her Para Athletics World Championships debut, finishing fourth in the 200 and seventh in the long jump and setting a personal record. She also had the opportunity to meet professional para-athletes she'd been looking up to for years.

She's modest about it, but Vazquez Collazo has followers of her own, especially young amputees inspired by her story who want to take pictures with her and get her autograph.

"There are times when I'm like, 'Wow. People are actually seeing me now, too, instead of me just watching others,'" she said. "It's motivating to know that I can inspire younger children with disabilities and show them that anything is possible."

Studies before sports

Vazquez Collazo transferred to Mizzou last spring to be closer to her family and personal trainer in St. Louis and also to pursue a bachelor's degree in social work. Her long-term academic goal is to get into law school.

"I took criminal justice classes and absolutely fell in love with law," she said. "I loved the mock trials I had to do."

At Mizzou, she's learned to balance being a student and an athlete.

"Being a student and athlete is definitely challenging because I put school first," Vazquez Collazo said. "If I'm doing schoolwork, I have to be in the schoolwork moment and not think about track or the gym. If I am at the track or gym, I have to think about what needs to be done there."

When she's not in class or training, Vazquez Collazo stays on the move. She's part of the Mizzou Service Dogs Club, a group that trains service dogs for children with autism and veterans. She also enjoys playing sand volleyball with friends, cheering on the Mizzou Wheelchair Basketball team and hanging out on the Quad.

"I'm proud to be a Tiger because of the community," she said. "It's a fun community, and everyone you meet is proud to be at Mizzou - alumni I talk to and friends who have been here longer than me. They've all had a good experience and are super excited for me. There are a lot of opportunities here."

Making the Paralympics has required not only a lot of training but also dedication, determination and motivation.

"My main motivation is the fact I get to wear Puerto Rico around my chest," Vazquez Collazo said. "Representing my island, my family and all of these people who have helped me gives me a giant boost of motivation. I'm always nervous beforehand, but seeing my support group in the stands, I know it's worth it."

And now, with more than 362,500 Mizzou Tigers around the world cheering her on, that support group has never been stronger.

MU College of Health Sciences