Enrique Jose Alhambra Mollar

Started: He began swimming at six months old in Valencia, Spain, and started competing at age 11. (yosoynoticia.es, 14 Aug 2023, 04 Feb 2021; Athlete, 13 Aug 2018) Reason: His parents introduced him to swimming. He also wanted to follow his sister into the sport. (Athlete, 13 Aug 2018) Ambition: To win a gold medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (proyectofer.es, 14 Sep 2023) Awards: He was Spain's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2019 World Championships in London, England. (proyectofer.es, 04 Sep 2019) In 2016 he received the Sports Merit Award for Scholar Para Athlete of the Year in Valencia, Spain. (fdmvalencia.es, 05 Sep 2017) Additional Info: LESSONS FROM DISAPPOINTMENT He says missing the S13 100m backstroke qualifying standard for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo by one-hundredth of a second was a valuable experience despite his disappointment. "It was a blow. I didn't take it well at all. Coming so close got to me. After the [qualifying standard] deadline had passed, I achieved the standard in two events. From the moment I found out I wasn't going to Tokyo, I immediately began focusing on the next Games in Paris [in 2024]. I am sure that this cycle will be different for me. Little by little, I am accumulating more experience. I will know how to better manage the different situations that arise." (proyectofer.es, 24 Mar 2022, 18 Nov 2021)