Rakel Mateo Uriarte

Started: She took up cycling in 2010 through the Fundacion Saiatu club in Bilbao, Spain. She added swimming and running in 2013, and competed in her first triathlon in September 2013 in Zumaia, Spain. (especial.elcorreo.com, 08 Mar 2017; avancedeportivo.es, 19 Jun 2014) Ambition: To win a medal at the Paralympic Games. (deia.eus, 16 Feb 2023) Awards: In 2022 she was named International Athlete of the Year for the province of Biscay in Spain by the news outlet, DEIA. (deia.eus, 16 Feb 2023) Additional Info: NEW BICYCLE She decided to quit the sport after her performance at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro was affected by a delay due to a malfunction in her equipment. However, she was persuaded to carry on competing in Para triathlon when an act of kindness saw her receive a new bicycle from somebody who had witnessed her experience at the 2016 Games. "The tyre had a malfunction and they were struggling to repair it because the race was about to start in one hour and we were short of time. After I cried for a while, they managed to solve it. A few weeks later I had a call from the Spanish Triathlon Federation telling me that someone wanted to send me a bike. I thought they were kidding me but, no, a spectacular bicycle came to my house, and the gift was from a man in Rio de Janeiro who was sitting next to me and to whom I was talking while I waited dejectedly in the pits for a solution to compete. I only know that he is Dutch and that he had a position at Shimano Europe. I hope to one day contact him. After those Games I was not going to continue, but I decided to continue and competing on that bicycle is the way I can thank him." She finally met her benefactor at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. "I was in the recovery zone after my race when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I couldn't believe it was the person I had been looking for for five years." (tokio2020.dxtadaptado.com, 18 Aug 2021; Yo Soy Noticia YouTube channel, 23 May 2022) OCCUPATION She has worked for Lantegi Batuak, a non-profit organisation in Biscaya, Spain, which generates employment opportunities for people with an impairment. (Facebook profile, 19 Aug 2021; deia.com, 27 Apr 2017)