Ariadna Edo Beltran

Started: She began swimming at age three in Castellon, Spain. She took up the sport competitively in 2013. (Athlete, 15 Aug 2018; elpais.com, 23 Mar 2018; vidasinsuperables.com, 19 Feb 2018; yosoynoticia.es, 28 Jul 2017) Reason: Her family encouraged her to try the sport. (Athlete, 15 Aug 2018) Awards: In 2017 she received the Sports Merit Medal in the city of Castellon in Spain. (elperiodicomediterraneo.com, 19 Feb 2018) In 2016 she received the Bronze Medal of the Royal Order of Sports Merit in Spain. (paralimpicos.es, 15 Nov 2016) In 2016 she was named Athlete of the Year of Castellon province by the Sports Press Association of Castellon, Spain. (huellasdemujeresgeniales.com, 12 Sep 2017) She received the Sports Merit Medal of the Valencian Community in Spain in 2016. (Prensa Diputacion Castellon YouTube channel, 19 Feb 2018; ceice.gva.es, 10 Oct 2017; cadenaser.com, 07 Oct 2016) Additional Info: MENTAL PREPARATION She believes that mental preparation and working with a sports psychologist has been influential during her swimming career. "The mental part is essential, not only to compete, but also to train every day, which is where we suffer the most. In the end, we reflect in competition what we train. You have to be very well prepared psychologically. I have my own psychologist, who is a central figure to manage the pressure. My life changed in less than a year from competing at the regional level [in non-Para swimming] to competing in world championships [in Para swimming], and you need to manage that and also take it on a daily basis. If you don't go [to competitions] with a good attitude and mentally well prepared, no matter what you train, things are not going to work out." (Televisio de Castello Facebook page, 13 Feb 2020)