As a child he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa. He gradually lost his field of vision and sharpness, until he stopped seeing it completely when he was thirteen. But this did not stop Gerard Descarrega (La Selva del Camp, 1994). Instead of football or basketball, he chose athletics and trained tirelessly. First for hobby and then to continue fulfilling dreams. And this weekend the biggest dream has come true. At the Tokyo Paralympic Games, he and his guide, Guillermo Rojo, hung the gold in the 400 meters T11.
Now that you have the gold hanging around your neck, are you aware of the milestone you have achieved?
– It is a pass to have been able to achieve our goal, which was a gold medal. We’ve gotten an overweight. It makes me very happy to have materialized so much effort made over so many years into a medal and a first place.
How do you remember the race?
– The race was perfect, we did it as we had spoken. Also, we were able to enjoy it a lot because in the final meters we were already aware that we would win. It was an explosion of emotions to be able to get to the finish line and see that everything had gone round. I am very pleased with this great experience.
It has been many days of preparation and adaptation to the Olympic Village. How did you spend them?
– It is an incredible experience, despite having logical restrictions: we can not join other countries, in the dining room we go with gloves and everyone has an enclosed space with screens …
Maybe there are those who don’t know you yet. How would you explain to someone who Gerard Descarrega is?
– I am a Paralympic athlete and I work professionally in sports. Also, I am a psychologist and the father of a little girl. I’m a normal person who gets along well enough and I’m dedicated to doing it.
At what point do you see that you can be a professional?
– At the time I won a scholarship that allowed me to dedicate myself to sports. It is very difficult to combine work and sports life, it is very hard. One only raises it when one thinks one has options to be competitive and when one has financial help.
I chose athletics because it was a sport that did not require much vision ”
Why athletics?
– Like any child I started running at the age of 11-12 and you take it as one hobby, as an extracurricular activity. No child should start in athletics thinking it will be nothing; if he does, he has a basic problem and they don’t advise him well. Everyone starts doing sports to enjoy what they like best, and for me it started like that. Once you start competing and you see it improve, you start to take it more seriously.
Did your illness condition you when it came to choosing athletics?
– I chose athletics because it was a sport that did not require much vision: it is running from one line to another along lanes that are usually well marked. I am from a village, La Selva del Camp, near Tarragona, and there is very typical football or basketball among children, but I did not have enough vision to be able to play comfortably and calmly in these sports and I started doing athletics.
As time went on, you knew your level was getting better. What was the basis of your training?
– Training and working hard. One does athletics because he enjoys the day to day training; if not, it is impossible. To get to a Games like I am now and be able to qualify for a medal, you have to like to train. It’s 99% of what you do. Athletics is a central part of my life and luckily the results in recent years have accompanied and I can dedicate myself to it. The most important thing is that you like what you do. We suffer a lot and we train a lot. Winning a medal is the consequence of many things.
You run with Guillermo Rojo. What does your help mean to you?
– Guides for blind athletes are a must. Obviously we don’t see it and we need someone to accompany us. It has its good parts, but also its bad things. Athletics happens to be a team sport and there are twice as many chances that it will go well or badly for one of the two to make a mistake. In the end you have to have a good relationship and understand each other within the track. We need a mutual commitment.
Running in a stadium where you feel everything is pretty weird, but that’s what it’s all about now. In the end, when you’re running, don’t think about where you are, but keep running and moving your legs and doing your best. ”
And now you’re at the Games.
– I’m very happy to be here. Being aware of how the world is today, it was quite doubtful that they could be celebrated. In the end, it’s a little sad when it comes to competing, because the stadium is empty. The Paralympics already have little normal audience, but it is true that in the Paralympic Games the stadiums were always one hundred percent. Running in a stadium where you feel everything is pretty weird, but that’s what it’s all about now. In the end, when you’re running don’t think about where you are, but keep running and moving your legs and doing your best.
What goal did you reach?
– What we are trying in Tokyo is to reap the fruits of all that we have fought for. This year has been especially tough and it’s a way to have a reward for everything we’ve been through. Sport is not always fair, they can disqualify you or get you out of a bad race, but it is a good opportunity to enjoy the sport and have fun competing again. We’ve had a couple of years that, between the pandemic and the injuries, we haven’t been able to enjoy everything we wanted, and now in Tokyo we have an opportunity in many ways. The Games are a springboard both financially and personally. Being here is a luxury.
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