Cuban-trained Guyanese student and National Powerlifter, Demetri Chan, graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation from the University of Medical Sciences of Cienfuegos, Cuba.

He achieved a 4.7 GPA – along with Certifications deeming him the most well-rounded student, having excelled in both academia and athletics during his time in the Spanish-speaking country.

Prior to his training in Cuba, Chan was a student of the West Demerara Secondary School and later, Queen’s College, where he learned to appreciate the duality of academic work and sport, having been a Scholar-Athlete who represented Guyana internationally at the Pan-American Powerlifting Championships, securing Bronze and Silver Medals.

Earlier this year, Chan competed in the Annual Cuban Classic Powerlifting Championships, securing 1st in the 74 Kg division and etching his name into Cuban sport history as the first Guyanese to ever achieve a podium finish at this competition.
Graduating at the top of his class, Chan expressed gratitude to the Government of Guyana (GoG) and the Embassy of Guyana in Cuba which continues to work tirelessly with students to facilitate their needs and achieve the feelings of a home away from home in Cuba.

Chan also thanked his family and his team, Hybrid Elites, for their support throughout the years he spent in the Province of Cienfuegos, and the powerlifting fraternity in Guyana (GAPLF) for their continued efforts to promote his talents locally and internationally.

The President of the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF), Franklin Wilson, his Executive Committee, athletes, and the entire fraternity has extended their heartiest congratulations to Chan for staying the course and excelling.

“Demetri, we know, has always exhibited a high level of discipline and commitment to the sport as well as his studies, which have paid great dividends. His achievement further strengthens the fact that education and sport go hand in hand. We look forward to welcoming Demetri back into competition, but more importantly, being an asset to athletes across the board in his new area of expertise.”