They start the Tokyo Paralympic Games in which they will participate 4,510 athletes of at least 160 countries and they will dispute until September 5. Spain will be represented by 154 athletes in 15 of the 22 disciplines that will take place in this event. The Spanish Paralympic team won 31 medals in Rio in 2016, but the important thing in this event is the courage of the athletes when it comes to breaking down barriers, something they have been doing since 1948, when Dr. Guttman organized the first shooting competition with wheelchair arch.
With stories of overcoming, effort and enthusiasm, our athletes are in Tokyo ready to fight for a place on the podium, but who better to tell it than the protagonists of the moment. We spoke with Desirée Vila, Adi Iglesias and Guillermo Rojo, who will compete in athletics events in the coming days, and with Cesar Neira, a cyclist who won a bronze and a gold at the Beijing Games in 2008.
Desirée Vila She was practicing acrobatic gymnastics when she suffered an injury at the age of 16 that led to medical negligence and resulted in the amputation of her right leg. From the beginning received psychological support, something that the athlete herself qualifies as “fundamental” to deal with the issue of the acquisition of disability, accept her new body and understand that the things that “she had been doing since she was little were going to change completely”.
Her family and friends were clear that Desirée would somehow resume her sports career, but she prioritized stability in her life that would begin by taking up those little things that were challenging for her at the time: walking and running again, this time accompanied by a prosthesis. .
Desirée’s return began with the 100-meter dash, a race that later he would take her to the long jump. According to the athlete, the beat reminds her of acrobatic gymnastics flight, so “I already had an advantage”, the difference was in landing on the sand.
His return to the sport was not easy. He currently has a sports psychologist who helped him lose his fear of injuring himself again. Desirée is not only an example of improvement, but she is clear that the priority is to feel good about herself to have greater security and better performance.
Adi Iglesias She is the absolute champion of Galicia in the 100 and 200 meter sprints. Due to her albinism, the athlete has 10% vision, which increases to 18% with the use of glasses. When she was a child, Adi saw some girls running on television and knew that it was what she wanted to do, but she was in Mali and “it was not feasible”.
In Africa there are superstitions that say cutting off a part of an albino’s body is lucky, or what by burying your hair it will turn to gold over time. Adi’s parents decided that she should come to Spain as a precaution.
Accustomed to competing against any rival, with or without disabilities, the sprinter does not understand barriers, since despite her visual limitation compete without a guide. To get his bearings, he makes a preliminary reconnaissance of the track and looks for a reference regarding the goal. Sometimes their reference is the judges’ chairs and other times, a lamppost. “All athletics tracks are the same,” she jokesly declares.
Although his only goal was to start running because he was passionate about it, he has achieved very good results in the world of athletics. At the Tokyo games, he will compete in the 100 and 400 meter sprint events. After having obtained the silver at the Dubai World Cup In the 100-meter dash, now Adi is going to “enjoy” as he has always done, and to fight for a medal.
William Red defines himself as “dynamic and curious”, characteristics that were enhanced the day he saw Gerard Download run with your previous guide, Marcos Blanquiño. Coordination between two people at that speed seemed like a challenge, so he got in touch with the ONCE technical chief to offer his availability.
He was already a high-level athlete when, three years ago, Gerard ran out of support athlete to go to the Berlin European and they contacted him. Thus began his tour as a guide, with a gold in the German capital.
Although Guillermo believes that Spain is a country that is betting on adapted sports, he misses a Training program for support athletes who make this profession more visible and incentivize, “Especially so that blind athletes can have a guide with the dedication they require.”
The sprinter makes his debut in the games alongside Gerard, who was gold in Rio 2016 in the 400 meter dash, the same test in which they will run together this year. Guillermo, who does not want to be optimistic, predicts another medal, but has not wanted to get wet with the color.
Cesar Neira won two adaptive cycling medals at the Beijing Paralympic Games in 2008. He returned home with a bronze in the individual pursuit event per track and a gold in road time trials, both in Div. 4 class. And although he would like to participate in some games again, he currently trains athletes to be what he was and will always be: a champion.
The cyclist had a work accident at the age of 23 that caused several bone breaks and damage to the spleen, lungs and parietal bone, causing mild cerebral palsyl. The bicycle was one more tool in his rehabilitation, and while watching the Paralympic Games in Athens, he set a new goal that four years later he would achieve in the capital of China.
For Cesar, winning those medals is a feeling that he cannot describe. According to the athlete, these two victories are eternal, because “records can be taken away from you, but not an Olympic medal.” From the Madrid town of Cadalso de los Vidrios, the athlete encourages people like him who have suffered an accident that has changed their lives, to fight for their dreams and above all to play sports, because “sport is health.”