Sara Andres Barrio

Started: She took up Para athletics in 2013 in Madrid, Spain. (Athlete, 26 Aug 2024) Reason: She has always liked sport, and practised karate, tennis and equestrian before her accident. "I wanted to feel free, feel the air in my face after being in a wheelchair for nine months and [spending] many more [months] learning how to walk again." (Athlete, 17 Jul 2017, 26 Aug 2024; saraandres.es, 14 Aug 2016) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Athlete, 26 Aug 2024) Awards: In 2023 she received the Sporting Success award in the individual Para sport category at the Women's Champions Gala in Madrid, Spain. (diario.madrid.es, 21 Nov 2023) In 2020 she received the Sport Without Limits Award at the Alberto Pico Solidarity Awards in Santander, Spain. (santander.es, 25 Aug 2020) In 2017 and 2019 she received the Seven Stars Award as Best Female Athlete in Madrid, Spain. (abc.es, 10 Jan 2019; noroestemadrid.com, 08 Feb 2018; mundodeportivo.com, 07 Feb 2018) In 2017 she received the Juan Palau Award from the Spanish Federation of Sports for People with a Physical Impairment [FEDDF]. (cocemfe.es, 10 May 2018) She was named the 2017 Female Para Athlete of the Year by the Madrid Athletics Federation. (marca.com, 01 Mar 2018) Additional Info: AUTHOR In 2019 she published a children's book called 'Sabes quien soy?' [Do you know who I am?]. The 36-page illustrated book has five characters with different hobbies and a different impairment, who show the reader how they live their day-to-day lives. While the first book is aimed at children aged three to five, in 2022 she published 'Sabes quien soy? Juntos mejor' [Do you know who I am? Better together], which is for children aged six to nine. "I have written five tales but only two have been published. My idea is to publish them to show that children with an impairment can also experience adventures and become models for other kids." (20minutos.es, 25 Aug 2023; magas.elespanol.com, 23 May 2022; revistalideras.com, 01 May 2019) HEALTH ISSUES She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the period between the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and the 2017 World Championships in London, England. She required surgery, and then had a further medical procedure one year later after doctors discovered she had basal cell carcinoma [a form of skin cancer]. "I think that things happen for a reason, and that it is better to face them with a positive attitude rather than being bitter." (magas.elespanol.com, 23 May 2022; gerente.com, 25 Nov 2019; elpais.com, 23 Jan 2019; rtve.es, 21 May 2018) OCCUPATION She has worked as a teacher at a primary school in Villanueva de la Canada, Spain. She took a leave of absence from her job in January 2019 in order to prepare for the 2020 Paralympic Games, and she has remained focused on her sporting career since then. "I miss my students and I go to see them. When my competitive career is over I will return to teaching classes." (europapress.es, 22 Mar 2024; gerente.com, 25 Nov 2019; runnersworld.com, 20 Jul 2019; elpais.com, 22 Jan 2019; rtve.es, 21 May 2018; saraandres.es, 13 Jun 2017)