ARATHOON PACAS Enrique Jose

General
REPRESENTING EL SALVADOR
He was born and raised in Guatemala, and is eligible to represent El Salvador through his mother. At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo he will become the first sailor to represent El Salvador at two Olympic Games. "I am from Guatemala City, and have lived there all my life. My mother is from El Salvador so I have dual citizenship and chose to represent El Salvador for sailing. We are a small country and having the joy of representing El Salvador in two Olympic Games is a great honour. It is also a responsibility and commitment to represent all Salvadorans, a country that has suffered from violence. I want to show that there are good things happening there too, and as athletes we can set an example for the youth." (teamesa.org, 13 Jan 2020; cofc.edu, 21 Mar 2016; cisternyard.com, 03 Dec 2015)

IMPORTANCE OF STUDIES
He studied at the College of Charleston in the United States of America from 2013 to 2016, and says he feels less pressure when sailing because his studies give him other options if sailing doesn't go to plan. "As a professional athlete, having academic preparation helps in several aspects, and gives me a fresher mind when going out on the water. Facing an Olympic Games [in 2020] knowing that I have a university degree takes some of the pressure off me, compared to people who are betting everything on their performance in the Olympics. That puts a lot of pressure on an athlete, knowing that they are risking so much in just one competition. But I feel I have other options. If, for example, I get injured or things do not go as planned, then I am prepared. My coach has always motivated me to have an academic plan." (teamesa.org, 13 Jan 2020)

COACH
He worked as a volunteer coach for the El Salvador national sailing team from June 2012 to June 2014. (LinkedIn profile, 2016)

When he competes at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, he will become the first sailor representing El Salvador to compete in two Olympic Games, having first competed at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. (SportsDeskOnline, 06 Feb 2020)

In January 2020 he became the first Laser class sailor from El Salvador to stand on the podium of a World Cup regatta, when he finished third at the 2020 World Cup regatta in Miami, FL, United States of America. (SportsDeskOnline, 06 Feb 2020)