DPT student wins bronze at Pan-American Wrestling Championship
Body
Ricardo Salinas, a DPT student, won a bronze medal in freestyle wrestling for Puerto Rico at the U23 Pan-American Wrestling Championships in April.
Salinas got his start in wrestling at a young age; his father was a high school coach and exposed him to the sport early.
“The wrestling room was my daycare,” Salinas said.
Ever since, and through every stage of his life, Salinas has continued pursuing the sport. He has stacked achievements even while working towards his doctorate, and looking forward, he hopes to qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He is currently training for the Junior Pan American Games in Paraguay in August, a major multi-sport event held every four years.
As a DPT student, Salinas is making connections in training that give him a technical edge.
“I’ve learned a lot about the joints, muscles and movement patterns, and that’s helped me connect the dots with wrestling techniques,” Salinas said. “I can visualize things better now — like how a certain grip affects a joint or how to move more efficiently — and that’s made a big difference both in how I train and how I recover.”
Salinas also sees a link between the goals he sets in wrestling and the goals he sets for his PT career.
“For me, it’s not so much about hitting some specific milestone; it’s about the opportunity the goal gives me to get better at something I love,” Salinas said.
“With PT school, the goal is to earn my doctorate, but to get there, I get to keep learning about how the human body works and how to help people move better. It’s the same mindset I bring to wrestling: keep showing up, keep learning, keep improving and keep doing what I love doing.”