EUROPEAN SUMMER GAMES FOR ATHLETES WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

By Fernando Antunez

IN THE LIGHTHOUSE, MONOGRAPHS: They have been held in the Polish city of Krakow

From the 16th to the 24th of this month, the Virtus 2022 European Summer Games for athletes with intellectual disabilities were held in the Polish city of Krakow. The event kicked off at the WKS Wawel Stadium. This is the second edition of the Virtus European Regional Games, organized by the Polish member of Virtus SPRAWNI-RAZEM. Athletes from around twenty European countries participated in the championship, such as Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Poland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Turkey. , who competed in nine sports: athletics, swimming, table tennis, basketball, handball, tennis, cycling, rowing and badminton, the latter sport being a new discipline in the Virtus programme.

In these games, our Spanish athletes have managed to win a total of 89 medals, divided into 49 gold, 25 silver and 15 bronze. Mainly our champions have shone in swimming with 76 metals and in athletics with 13 medals. In the pool, one of the great protagonists has been Eva Coronado, who competed in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo and recently in the World Championships in Madeira, after winning 14 medals. The Valencian displayed her potential to win four golds in the 50 free, 100 free, 100 butterfly and 50 butterfly S14 (this category is the one that includes all swimmers with intellectual disabilities), in this last test with a world record (30.58 seconds ). She also achieved a silver in the 400 free and in the relay she won seven golds and two silvers, with a world record in the women’s 4×50 IM (2:18.21). Ella “she European Champion and personal best in four events, setting a Spanish record in all of them and a double world record in the 50 butterfly.

Camino Martínez de la Riva has been the ‘Midas’ queen among swimmers with Down Syndrome since everything she has touched has turned into gold. The Madrilenian has won ten medals, being the fastest in Europe in 50, 100 and 200 free, in 50, 100 and 200 backstroke. The other four she got them in mixed relay.

Aragonese Ariadna Galache, 16, has shown her talent and the progression she has experienced in recent seasons. In June she debuted with the Spanish team at the Paralympic World Cup in Portugal and now she has won 12 medals, gold in 50 and 200 back S14 and silver in 100 styles. The rest were seven golds and two silvers in the relay events.

Other Spanish multi-medallists were Laura Pérez (gold in 200 butterfly and bronze in 400 free and 100 butterfly), Miguel Ángel Valiente (silver in 200 free and bronze in 100 free), Sara Zalve (silver in 200 free and 50 backstroke and bronze in 100 backstroke), Antonio Olmo (gold in 200 breaststroke, silver in 50 breaststroke and bronze in 100 breaststroke), Luis Paredes (gold in 200 butterfly, silver in 800 freestyle and bronze in 800 freestyle), Marta Martínez (gold in 50 breaststroke and silver in 200 free, 100 and 200 breaststroke) and Iris Agudo (silver in 50 butterfly and bronze in 50 free, 100 free and 100 butterfly). Spain confirmed its potential in relay events by winning 18 golds and five silvers to lead the continental medal table in swimming.

In athletics, Deliber Rodríguez has been one of the athletes who has most dazzled. The man from Madrid, a diploma at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, won gold in his favorite test, the 400 meters T20. In qualifying he broke the European record with 47.44, a time that would have given him gold at last year’s Japanese event. In the final he crossed the finish line in 47.61 seconds, beating his brother Dionibel Rodríguez, who took silver with 49.21. Deliber completed his great performance with a silver in 800 T20 (this category of adapted athletics includes athletes with intellectual disabilities) with 1:52.44 (personal best) and two medals in relay, a gold in 4×400 meters with Dionibel, Martín Fernández and Rubén Pascual, and a silver in 4×100. Mikel García won gold in 1,500 meters with 6:32.72 and he himself led a historic Spanish triplet in the 800 meters T21 for athletes with Down syndrome. The Basque was gold (2:56.83), José Nicolás Castaño silver (3:02.59) and Manuel Guerrero bronze (3:20.59).

The Andalusian Guerrero also got a gold in 400 T21 (1:12.88) and a bronze in 200 (32.19 seconds). And three other bronzes signed Deyanira Hidalgo in 400 meters T20 with 1:10.22, Selena Aguilar in 100 meters with 13.37 and José Carlos López in long jump with a mark of 5.84 meters.