Daniel has a dream: the World Championships of Underwater Hockey in England. When he discovered underwater hockey, he was overweight, shy, and almost silent. Today, at 18, he is a respected player on Colombia’s national team. The sport didn’t just give him discipline and confidence, it gave him a future. Daniel now wants to learn English and study in Australia. Underwater, he leaves everything else behind.

He grew up in one of Medellín’s poorest neighborhoods, shaped by violence and instability. After his father was injured in a car accident, Daniel had to quit school to support his family. One brother is a war veteran with schizophrenia, another recently left prison. Still, Daniel stands by his family, and they stand by him. Together, they made the impossible happen. With the national team, Daniel became the first in his family to ever leave the country. “I am not poor,” he says. “If you tell yourself you are poor, you become poor.”

Underwater hockey is a niche sport, but Colombia is a global powerhouse. Medellín, supported by public sports programs, has become its center. Yet international success comes at a price. Players must pay for travel, equipment, and coaches themselves. Daniel worked as a carpenter, sold sweets, and his parents went into debt so he could compete at the World Cup in Australia in 2017. Every peso mattered. And every dive proved how far determination can carry you.

A collaboration project with Katharina Wojczenko.