There are athletes who win medals. And there are others who also pave the way. Simon Cruz belongs to that lineage. Qpioneer of Paralympic badminton in Spaina silent reference during years of struggle and resistance, once again stands before a world championship with the serenity of someone who has already experienced almost everything and still allows himself to dream.
At the gates of 50 years, andThe Jaenense faces his eighth World Cup in Bahrain, from February 8 to 14a record that only two Indian players have equaled in the entire history of the discipline. He does it more calmly, with renewed enthusiasm, with the strength of experience and with nothing to lose. Maybe that’s why, too, with more enjoyment than ever.
His life took a turn in 1999. A work accident left him on the brink of death when a pomace mill destroyed his left leg.which had to be amputated above the knee. Years later, badminton appeared as a lifeline. And it didn’t take long for him to make it his territory.
Seven European medals and one world silver
Since 2007 he became the standard bearer of Spanish badminton, competing in the SL3 category with a prosthesis carbon in the shape of a crossbow that provides momentum in a sport of explosive movements and maximum demands. The Andalusian accumulated successes: seven European medals and a world silver in 2011, in Guatemala. He even came close to qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
After that very hard year between trips and competitions, he decided to stop. “I put the racket away and the possibility arose, in Andújar, of starting athletics, in chair javelin throwing.. A totally different sport. I went to the Spanish Championship and came sixth,” he explained. The hiatus lasted almost three years. Until, in 2024, his children pushed him to return to the place where he had always been happy. The racket had been cornered at home for some time and it was time to dust it off.
“I spoke with Gustavo López, my coach. “A door had been left ajar and I wanted to close it in the best way”he has confessed. That same year he was proclaimed champion of Spain and in 2025 he set a bigger goal: the Internacional de Vitoria. “The inactivity was very great and the foreign players were very powerful. It was a very tough test, but I got the necessary points to go to the European Championship,” he commented.
Good feelings in the European Championship
The European championship, however, was a blow. So hard that he decided to reset. He prepared himself physically and mentally like never before, with the trainer Dani García, with a psychologist, and the unconditional support of his closest environment – his friend Andrés Castro, his wife and his son -, who became pillars of his return. The result came in Istanbul. Simón reached the quarterfinals, eliminating the number five seed and finishing among the five best players on the continent.
“Paralympic badminton is professional. People train in high-performance centers and the level is spectacular. This is not my case, and at my age I don’t see myself there either. I try to compete, but I know that it is difficult to reach the final rounds. I train two days a week, I have a family, two children. I will go as far as I can”he stressed.
The body also takes its toll. The stump of his leg is badly damaged, the bone rubbing against the skin after so many impacts. “I can’t train more days because it affects me. I finish each session with tremendous pain. But now I enjoy it more than before. I live day to day and I savor the little things,” he confessed.
Being in the World Cup, a victory
Without the speed of other players, he makes up for the shortcomings with experience, mental strength and exquisite technique, capable of making any rival uncomfortable. In Bahrain he knows it, qualifying is already a victory: “This is the eighth World Cup of my career. Only two Indians equal me. Being here is almost like a medal. “I give a lot of value to being among the best.”
Simón knows what it is like to stand on a World Cup podium. He also knows that it is a rarity in Spanish badminton. Only one other national player has achieved it: Nacho Fernández, in mixed doubles in 2022. “With the new talents that come from behind in the Spanish team, I am sure that several will manage to compete for medals in world championships. In the coming years, more players will be added to this very select group,” he stated.
Their desire in Bahrain is clear, to pass the group stage and play in the round of 16. From there, dreaming costs nothing. Then the Internacional de Vitoria will arrive, in March. He doesn’t think beyond. This second chance is not about results. It’s about closing doors, about enjoying, about continuing to be, once again, the driving warrior who never stopped believing.
