The Spanish Paralympic Team goes excited and with “its sights set on the future” to the Milan-Cortina Games

The Spanish Paralympic Team that will compete in the Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Games, made up of five athletes, appeared this Monday in Madrid with “its sights set on the future”, but overflowing with hope to shine in an event where what they achieve “will surely impact the entire society.”

Under the motto ‘Inspiring the world from the top’, the Spanish Paralympic Committee (CPE) presented at the Italian Embassy in Madrid the alpine skiers Audrey Pascual, who will also act as flag bearer, María Martín-Granizo and Javier Marcos, the snowboard rider Emilio Redondo and the cross-country skier and biathlete Higinio Rivero, who already has two Summer Games under his belt (Tokyo and Paris).

The president of the CPE, Alberto Durán, thanked “the support of the Government of Spain”, represented at the event by the ministers Milagros Tolón, of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, and Elma Saiz, of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, and by the president of the Higher Sports Council (CSD), José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes.

“We hope to live magnificent moments like in Paris in 2024. We face these Games with great enthusiasm, with a young team, with our eyes on the future, although with the hope and desire to achieve success in the present,” said Durán, who thanked Allianz for being “involved” in the Promise Team, the sponsors and ‘Mas8000’, in charge of designing the kits that the athletes will wear.

The leader, who recalled that those from Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo will be his “first” at the head of the CPE, stressed that also “this very young team opens a new stage” since it will be “the first time” that the Royal Spanish Winter Sports Federation (RFEDI) “is in charge of directing this expedition once the inclusion is now effective.” “A path, that of integration into single-sport federations, which is already unstoppable, but requires everyone to continue pushing together because if not, it will not work,” added Durán, who thanked the Also Foundation for its “magnificent work to create athletes of the future.”

“Good luck to the entire team, sure that the organization of the Games is going to be a success and will once again allow Paralympic sport to send its message so that society is more fair,” continued the president of the CPE, who stressed that “society wants” to see sport for people with disabilities, asking the media that, “even if you elbow them, you manage to place the message and the stories of these heroes.” “You are going to contribute to a better society,” he asserted.

Finally, the president highlighted the athletes who are going to “overcome many difficulties”, even though they are “accustomed to doing it every day.” “I hope you achieve your dreams, what you achieve will not remain only in your internal environment, not even in your closest environment, but will surely impact the entire society. Never have so many depended on so few, a lot of courage and a lot of luck,” he stated.

Additionally, through a video, May Peus, president of the RFEDI, participated in the event, for whom it is “a great joy, a challenge and a responsibility” that it is the first time that her organization “is going to accompany” the CPE to the Paralympic Winter Games.

“Congratulations to all the athletes and technicians who have prepared this Paralympic cycle with all their dedication and strength. I am sure that the delegation that is going to compete and represent Spain at the highest level, I am eager for these Games to arrive and we can share this feat together,” added the leader.

THE ATHLETES, EXCITED

Audrey Pascual will be the main asset of this delegation after her successes in recent seasons in the World Cup and the conquest of several Crystal Globes. The 21-year-old from Madrid will do the five disciplines (slalom, giant, super-G, downhill and combined), which she is “good at.” “I love all five and they are going to keep me motivated throughout the entire period of the Games, from beginning to end, and I am going to go with everything,” he stressed.

For her part, her partner and youngest member of the team, the 19-year-old María Martín-Granizo from León, who arrives at the Games encouraged after winning her first two medals in the World Cup. “They have been a great source of pride after all the effort and years we have put in, I am ready for the Games,” she said.

“Realistically, my category in the World Cup is one of the most complicated, but I feel good, I have trained a lot and I have fought to be here. If I finish in the top ten I will be more than happy and I want to enjoy the Games, but I am going to compete and if I win a medal it will be great,” he said.

In skiing for athletes who compete standing, in the men’s category, there will be Javier Marcos, who will do giant and slalom like Martín-Granizo. “The first objective was to be here and now, without being very ambitious, I would like to fight for diplomas and who knows if a medal,” he wished.

For Higinio Rivero, the Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Games will be his third Paralympic Games, but the first Winter Games, competing in cross-country skiing and biathlon, sports that he will alternate every day. “I have it pretty clear now. They leave a day of rest to change the chip and let’s hope we don’t get confused,” he said with a smile.

Finally, the ‘rider’ Emilio Redondo will be the representative in snowboarding, in the two disciplines, ‘boardercross’ and ‘banked slalon’. “I get better results in ‘banked’, it feels more adrenaline, it’s faster,” he confessed.