Inigo Llopis Sanz

Started: He took up the sport in 2009 at age 10 in San Sebastian, Spain. (Athlete, 26 Aug 2024, 13 Aug 2018) Reason: He was encouraged to take up swimming as therapy after breaking his impaired leg while playing football. "At first I didn't like swimming but I listened to my parents, I only went with the idea of improving my mobility and recovering. One day I participated in a school championship in Spain and I liked it. I began to take it more seriously, I was hooked and I have not come out of the water again." (olympics.com, 05 Oct 2021; eitb.eus, 19 Sep 2017) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (relevo.com, 15 Sep 2023) Awards: He was named Para Athlete of the Year for 2023 by the Spanish sports newspaper Diario AS. (Instagram profile, 19 Dec 2023; as.com, 06 Dec 2023) He was named the 2021 Male Para Athlete of the Year in the Gipuzkoa province of Spain by the Diario Vasco newspaper. (diariovasco.com, 25 Apr 2022) In May 2021 he was honoured by the City Council of San Sebastian in Spain. (diariovasco.com, 27 May 2021) In February 2020 he was among the winners in the Best Athlete category at the Effort Awards Gala held by Para sport website dxtadaptado.com. (paralimpicos.es, 06 Feb 2020; as.com, 03 Feb 2020; dxtadaptado.com, 03 Feb 2020) He received the 2015 Outstanding Athlete award in San Sebastian, Spain. (diariovasco.com, 17 Dec 2015) Additional Info: FURTHER EDUCATION He has studied for a qualification in football coaching and for a degree in social integration. (marca.com, 06 Aug 2023; diariovasco.com, 31 Jan 2020)

Sporting Relatives: His father Luis Llopis has served as a goalkeeping coach for Spanish football clubs Real Madrid and Real Sociedad. (Athlete, 26 Aug 2024; olympics.com, 05 Oct 2021; football-espana.net, 03 Jul 2021; diariovasco.com, 26 Sep 2018; elespanol.com, 25 Jun 2018)