Real estate pro Matt Torres plans to sport his Century 21 hat outside the pool at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, which kick off Wednesday, Aug. 28. But once he takes the hat off, Torres, 23, an agent with Century 21 Scala Group in Bridgeport, Conn., will play his role as a professional swimmer competing for gold at the upcoming games.
Torres hopes to win a medal once again in the 400-meter men’s freestyle race, in which he earned a bronze medal at the 2020 games in Tokyo. In Paris, Torres also will compete in the 100-meter backstroke and 100-meter freestyle competitions.
Torres was born with amniotic band syndrome, a developmental defect at birth, and is missing half his right leg. He has deformities in both hands and moderate hearing loss. But that hasn’t stopped him from pursuing his passion for swimming on a world stage.
“I feel good,” Torres said as he prepared to head to Paris earlier this month. His first Paralympic event occurs Aug. 31. “I feel confident in the training that I’ve been doing, and I’m trying to keep that level of composure and not get too excited or caught up on the outside noise. I want to maintain my focus and take all the necessary steps to have a strong race plan.”
When Torres isn’t in the pool, he’s selling real estate. He started at Century 21 Scala Group about a year ago, following in the footsteps of his mother, Martha, who works at the same brokerage. The flexibility of real estate enables Torres to maintain a rigorous training schedule between client appointments.
Torres trains for swimming competitions six days a week, mornings and afternoons, while also prospecting for real estate clients. “I try to juggle as many hours both in the pool and the office as I can,” he says.
He took up swimming at age 7 after watching legendary athlete Michael Phelps at the 2008 games. “Just watching him was my main inspiration. Seeing how motivated he was and how he dominated every single race with the world records and gold medals,” Torres says, “I wanted to be like him one day. So, I signed up for swimming lessons right after that.”
From there, his love for swimming bloomed, and his determination paid off: Torres was the world record holder in the 1500-meter freestyle, with a time of 17:42.44, during the 2021 U.S. Paralympic National Championships. Over the years, he has earned several gold and bronze medals in world and national swimming competitions. He also was named America’s most decorated swimmer in the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru.
Torres will compete in the men’s 100-meter backstroke on Aug. 31, the men’s 400-meter freestyle on Sept. 4, and the men’s 100-meter freestyle on Sept. 6. He also plans to represent Team USA in the World Para Swimming Open Water Cup competition in Sardinia, Italy, on Sept. 21.
And regardless of the outcome, “after the games, my immediate focus will be on real estate,” Torres says. “I have a goal to become a top-producing listing agent in the future.”
