Teresa Perales

Started: She took up the sport at age 19, and began competing in swimming in 1995. (mujeresnotables.com, 15 Sep 2018; Athlete, 12 Jul 2015) Reason: "I discovered that freedom that water gives you. That magic because everyone has room inside the water and almost all of us float. I loved it. After a few days I enjoyed it so much and realised I wanted to swim every day of my life. I just wanted to float, to feel free in the water. What I didn't know was that I was going to [go to the Paralympic Games] six times." (lavanguardia.com, 12 Apr 2021; paralympic.org, 19 Jun 2020, 20 May 2010; as.com, 03 Mar 2019) Ambition: To win her 28th Paralympic medal at the 2024 Games in Paris. (Marca YouTube channel, 17 Dec 2023) Milestones: She has won the most total medals [27] at the Paralympic Games of any athlete representing Spain in any sport. Her medal tally is among the top 10 of all time for any athlete from any nation at the Paralympic Games. (SportsDeskOnline, 20 Feb 2024; rtve.es, 23 Nov 2019) She became the first female athlete representing Spain in any sport to win six medals at a single edition of the Paralympic Games when she claimed two gold, one silver, and three bronze medals at the 2004 Games in Athens. (SportsDeskOnline, 20 Feb 2024) Awards: In 2023 a statue of her was erected in a park named after her in Zaragoza, Spain. (marca.com, 28 Feb 2023) In 2021 she received the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports from the Princess of Asturias Foundation in Spain. (fpa.es, 02 Jun 2021) In 2019 she was presented with the Olympic Order by the Spanish Olympic Committee [COE]. (expansion.com, 18 Dec 2019; coe.es, 27 Nov 2019) In 2017 she received the Gold Medal for Merit at Work from the Spanish government. (as.com, 27 Jul 2017) In 2016 she was presented with the Infanta Sofia National Sports Award in Spain. (fpa.es, 02 Jun 2021) In 2015 she became the first Para athlete to receive the Premio Leyenda [Legend Award] from the Spanish sports newspaper Marca. (fundaciontelefonica.com, 29 Sep 2015) In 2014 she was presented with the Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit of Spain, the highest sports award in Spain, for her performance at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. (mujeresnotables.com, 15 Sep 2018; paralympic.org, 02 Apr 2014; casareal.es, 04 Jan 2014) She was Spain's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. (tokyo2020.org, 18 Jun 2020) In 2009 she was decorated with the Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sports Merit in Spain. (mujeresnotables.com, 15 Sep 2018) She has received honorary degrees from Miguel Hernandez University and Pablo de Olavide University in Spain. (upo.es, 03 May 2023; fpa.es, 02 Jun 2021) Additional Info: ROLE MODEL She believes being a role model and taking care of her personal image is just as important as her sporting achievements. "We [athletes] should consider it a daily task as important as training because we can reach a lot of people and the image we portray is very important. The media impact makes us icons, models that go beyond purely the sports ground, and if we are referents through our sport achievements, we also have the responsibility of having the correct behaviour and attitude that shows the spirit of overcoming that the Olympic Movement has. We can help other people understand that dreams are dreams until you get to fulfil them and come true. And we all have the possibility to fulfil our dreams, even if it seems impossible." (expansion.com, 18 Dec 2019) FURTHER EDUCATION She has studied for a degree in primary education teaching at the Catholic University of Murcia [UCAM] in Spain. (ucamdeportes.com, 24 Jan 2020) OTHER ACTIVITIES In 2003 she was elected as a Member of Parliament [MP] of the Aragonese Party [PAR] for Zaragoza in the Cortes of Aragon in Spain. She has worked as a public servant in several roles in Aragon and Zaragoza in Spain. She has also been a member of the International Paralympic Committee [IPC] Athletes' Council, and worked as an ambassador for Madrid's bid for the 2016 Olympic Games. (fpa.es, 02 Jun 2021; mujeresnotables.com, 15 Sep 2018; LinkedIn profile, 19 May 2018; paralympic.org, 29 Apr 2016) BOOKS In 2007 her biography 'Mi Vida Sobre Ruedas' [My Life on Wheels], written with her husband Mariano Menor, was released. Her second book 'La Fuerza de un Sueno' [The Strength of a Dream] was published in 2014. (mujeresnotables.com, 15 Sep 2018; LinkedIn profile, 19 May 2018)