QUINTERO Damian

General
OLYMPIC IMPACT
In 2015 when it was announced that karate was on the shortlist to be included at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, he quit his studies and his job as an aeronautical engineer to focus on being a full-time athlete. "I took a risk, leaving a good job and a good salary. When karate became an Olympic sport in 2016, it was time to start training hard. There's been a huge difference since the sport became part of the Olympics. Now karate is my job, I have a sponsor, I get help from the Spanish Olympic Committee and the government." He is hopeful that the sport will one day be included again at the Olympic Games. "All we can do is try to put on a good show in Tokyo. Then we will see what the television ratings and media exposure is like. If it goes back to the way it was before, we will probably have to go back to splitting time between practice, study and work if we want to keep competing at a high level." (sports.inquirer.net, 18 Feb 2020)

AERONAUTICAL ENGINEER
In addition to his degree in aeronautical engineering, he has studied for master's degrees in aeronautical composites and executive sports business administration. "I've always been a fan of planes, and I knew I wanted to do something related to numbers. I'm not a fan of words and letters. I think that with effort and planning you can achieve everything. It took me more than 10 years to finish my degree, but there it is. In fact, I worked for three-and-a-half years in a company, so I have experience." (spainsnews.com, 01 Jun 2020; tokyo2020.org, 14 Oct 2020)

HERITAGE
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he moved to Spain with his family at age five. (diariosur.es, 17 Jun 2015; sports.inquirer.net, 18 Feb 2020)