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Name: Dimitri Cândido Monteiro de Castro

Place of birth/Citizenship: Brazilian / Italian

Date of Birth: 26/ 01 / 2005

Sport: Football Soccer /Basketball / Volleyball

Languages Spoken: Portuguese / English

Age: 18 years old

Gender: Male

Current playing at: Curitiba - Paraná

Position:

Soccer - Midfielder

Basketball - Shooting Guard / Point Guard

Volleyball - Opposite

Contact: +55 41 9 8803-8146

(Dandara - Mother)

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Measurements 2022/1

X: 179,3cm / 5ft10in

Y: 184cm / 6ft

Z: 219cm / 7ft2in

Weight: 62,80Kg / 138,4 lbs

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2019-2020

2020-2021

2021-2022

'' Every memory I have, whether it is from 10 hours ago or from 10 years ago, comes down to one thing: sports. From futsal to volleyball, and from fencing to basketball, everything I have done in my life has been deeply connected to sports. There is something about the camaraderie, the absolute focus and never ending challenges that speaks to me in ways nothing else does. Sure, I like to win. Trophies, medals and last minute points bring enormous joy. But sports, at least to me, are more than scoreboards and championships. They are my life, my passion. Everything I know about helping others, giving my best and striving to achieve more comes from sports. Especially soccer, basketball and volleyball.

My name is Dimitri Candido Monteiro de Castro. I was born on January 26th, 2005, in the city of Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Três Corações is a small city. With a small population of 80,000 people, we do not play a major role in Brazil’s economy (we do make the best coffee in the country, at least according to my mother). However, we are the birthplace of the greatest soccer player in the world: King Pelé. Pelé is the embodiment of the Brazilian way of playing soccer. Raw talent, pure ball control and goals. Many goals. He is the personification of the passion for sports. Três Corações means Three Hearts, and all of them are absolutely crazy about Pelé. Pelé was obsessed with soccer. I am obsessed with sports. I like to think that I carry the love of 3 hearts for the 3 sports I practice.

My father was in the army, so we moved a lot when I was growing up. It was hard to make friends, to connect to new classmates. But sports were always there. And kicking the ball is the easiest way to make friends. When I was 6 years old, we lived in Brasilia, and the passion for sports born in the city of the King was still very present in my DNA. I always played soccer for fun, but as I got older, things started to change. By 2013 I was playing against kids 2 years older than me. I was able to win the MVP in a local championship, and received several other prizes.

In 2014, we had to move again. As soon as I arrived, I joined the soccer team called Coritiba Football Club (COXA). Later that year we won the Little Cup, a championship that occurs between the soccer teams in Curitiba. It did not matter where I was. It did not matter the background of the kids. Soccer immediately connected us. It was our common language.

I started to appreciate not only the language of soccer, but the language of sports. In 2016 I was admitted to the Military School of Curitiba (CMC), where I began to play and practice everything that could be called a sport: fencing, horsemanship, swimming. I won a few prizes, but it was at the end of the year that I decided to focus on soccer, basketball and volleyball.

I kept training soccer and volleyball, but I also started to take basketball seriously. Early in 2017, the coach responsible for the CMC basketball team saw me playing, and decided to invite me to join the official school squad. Playing basketball, being part of an actual team made me obsessed with the sport, and its culture. It was not only about being the best version of yourself. It was about being the best for the team, the community. Later on, I received an invitation to join the 2 biggest basketball teams in the city: Circulo Militar and Sociedade Thalia. I chose the latter. The victories came, the individual prizes came, and, by the end of my third month playing for them, we won the State Championship.

In 2018, after a successful year, I was invited to play for the State Team. I have given my life to sports, and now, sports were giving me much more than I could have ever imagined.

We participated in the South American Championship and won the silver medal. I was chosen as the MVP during the first days of the championship. Unfortunately, I got injured and was not able to perform at top level. The year of 2019 was all about rising above self-doubts. I got back to practice. I started playing again. I was happy again. Big wins, individual prizes. I was back at being myself, the kid with three hearts, giving his best to the sports he loves.

As I gained confidence inside the court, I also started developing more discipline towards studying. I decided I was going to apply to a very competitive school, and get a good scholarship to help my parents. The process to select the students had many steps. The first one was a demonstration of skills in three different sports: Soccer, Volleyball, and Basketball. The second step was writing exercises both in English and in Portuguese. The third step was an interview.

Out of 300 students who applied, I was the only boy selected for the prestigious scholarship of the International School of Curitiba (ISC), representing the school in soccer, basketball and volleyball. Full ride. Once more, the 3 sports I love were giving me more than shots of endorphins, prizes, friendships and happy memories; they were giving me a bright future.

My story, my life, is about sports. I do not know where the basketball/volleyball court and soccer field end, and where the classroom begins. The discipline and camaraderie I learn with my coach and teammates will make me succeed in class. The books I read and the different subjects I learn will help me see the game differently, and will inspire me. I learned that playing with different teammates, different coaches, and in different situations, built who I am today, not only as an athlete but as an individual who values all the opportunities life and these sports have given me.

I hope my dedication to sports and school can keep taking me to new places. I will keep working hard, studying hard, so one day I can get into a good university in America, and evolve both as a player and as a person.

I would like to thank God, and my family for the never ending support they have given me. They were the ones who showed me not only love, but also a soccer ball. It changed my life.

I will make you proud. ''

Dimitri Cândido Monteiro de Castro