Ten blind and severely visually impaired Spanish Paralympic judokas, including aragonese competitor Sergio Ibáñez, are set to compete at the European Championships in Heidelberg, Germany, running from August 14 to August 16, according to regional media reports. The tournament marks a major milestone for the Spanish Blind Sports Federation, which is sending one of its largest delegations ever to a continental championship and entering both men’s and women’s teams into the team competition for the first time in eight years, as detailed in an official release cited by Heraldo de Aragón and Hoy Aragón.
A Major Milestone for the Spanish Delegation in Heidelberg
The continental tournament in Heidelberg brings together elite visually impaired athletes from across Europe for individual and team battles. According to reports from Hoy Aragón, the Spanish Blind Sports Federation has structured its largest representation in recent memory for this event. Beyond the standard individual brackets, Spain will field complete squads in both the men’s and women’s team tournaments, ending an eight-year drought in the team categories as noted by Heraldo de Aragón.
Leading the Spanish contingent is quadruple Paralympic medalist Marta Arce. According to Heraldo de Aragón, Arce secured a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and followed that performance with a bronze at last year’s European Championships. Her consistent international success anchors a roster that blends seasoned veterans with rising talent on the European stage.
Sergio Ibáñez Returns to the Tatami After Post-Games Surgery
For Zaragoza native Sergio Ibáñez, the trip to Germany marks another step forward in a demanding competitive cycle. Heraldo de Aragón and Hoy Aragón report that Ibáñez required surgery for an injury sustained following the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. He made his return to international competition a year ago in Giza, Egypt, where he secured a bronze medal in the J2 -70kg category.
Ibáñez enters the Heidelberg championships carrying momentum from the recent Grand Prix in São Paulo, Brazil, held a month prior. In that tournament, Ibáñez captured a bronze medal, matching the metal won by teammates Marta Arce, María Manzanero, and Rodrigo Suárez, according to coverage from Heraldo de Aragón.
Roster Depth and International Aspirations
The ten-athlete squad features a balanced mix of established names and developing competitors. Alongside Ibáñez and Arce, the Spanish delegation includes María Manzanero, Íñigo Gerbolés, Rodrigo Suárez, Norberto Tuñón, Omar Tohuami, and María Campos. Rounding out the roster are Elsa Lukun—the youngest member of the team who will make her European Championship debut—and Álvaro Gavilán, who returns to high-level competition after passing his final visual classification assessment, as reported by Hoy Aragón.
Competition in Heidelberg begins on August 14 and runs through August 16. The individual rounds will precede the much-anticipated team matchups, where the Spanish men and women look to test their depth against Europe’s top programs.
Worth a look
