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Olympic track star gets set for Tokyo 2020 and future coaching career

June 12, 2019

Senior Alejandro Perlaza Zapata, who is training to represent his native country of Colombia for a second time at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, brought a unique flair to Liberty University’s track program. From the way he dances to music in his headphones during warmups to his jubilant expressions as he crosses the finish line, Perlaza Zapata exhibits a true love for the sport.

“I’m always surrounded by happiness, in harmony with myself, but first and foremost, in harmony with God,” he said during a feature for “Game On,” the Liberty Flames Sports Network’s (LFSN) weekly sports show.

Perlaza Zapata is driven to win every race and to give God the glory.

“My focus is to set goals that are impossible for me, but nothing is impossible with God,” he said. “If I’m with God, I know that He will take me to things that I will never imagine to achieve.”

Competing at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio, Brazil, was one such experience.

“Being there with the best athletes in the world made a big impact in my life,” Perlaza Zapata said. “My next goal is to get an Olympic medal, to be on
the podium.”

Perlaza Zapata holds the Colombian record in the 400 meters. He placed sixth at the NCAA Division I indoor national championships in March and qualified to compete in the men’s 400 on June 5 and 7 at the NCAA Division I outdoor national championships in Austin, Texas. Going into the outdoor national competition, Perlaza Zapata was tied for No. 9 on the NCAA men’s 400 national list for 2019 and tied for No. 18 in the world this year. He also has his sights set on the Sept. 27-Oct. 6 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Qatar.

He plans to complete his interdisciplinary studies degree, with specializations in health sciences and coaching, this summer.

“My goal is to be a high-performance coach and teach the future generations all that I am learning now,” Zapata said.

Visit GameOnLU.com for other senior student-athletes featured last semester, including men’s basketball guard Lovell Cabbil, who led the Flames to their first NCAA tournament victory; women’s volleyball outside hitter Victoria Baptista from Brazil; and men’s tennis player Eddie Gutierrez from Mexico.

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