Perales return headlines Spanish squad for Euros

One of Spain’s most prolific medal winning swimmers, Teresa Perales, joins 22 other athletes chasing down European titles at the 2014 IPC Swimming European Championships from 4 August. 29 Jul 2014
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Women swimming a freestyle race

Teresa Perales won six gold medals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games

ⒸLieven Coudenys
By Spanish Paralympic Committee

Reigning world champions Michelle Alonso, Sarai Gascon and Israel Oliver are also among the medal favourites.

A team of 23 Spanish swimmers has been named for the 2014 IPC Swimming European Championships in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, from 4-10 August, including multiple Paralympic champion Teresa Perales who returns after illness put her out of action in 2013.

Perales, who won an incredible six gold medals at London 2012, had to pull out of the World Championships in Montreal, Canada, last minute but now has her sights firmly fixed on Rio 2016.

Reigning world champions Michelle Alonso, Sarai Gascon and Israel Oliver are also among the medal favourites.

Meanwhile S3 swimmer Miguel Angel Martinez is aiming to match the five silver medals from the 2013 Worlds that saw him leave Montreal as Spain’s most decorated athlete.

Other regulars to the podium at major international competitions lining up in Eindhoven will be Jose Antonio Mari, Ricardo Ten, Miguel Luque, Deborah Font, Carla Casals, Sebastian Rodriguez, and David Levecq.

Richard Oribe, six-time Paralympian, joins Perales in returning to the pool after injury ruled him out of Montreal 2013.

Up and coming swimmers include 21-year-old S12 athlete Mary Delgado, who managed a fourth place finish in 2013, Nuria Marques and Oscar Salguero who make their Europeans debut.

The full Spanish squad for Eindhoven 2014 is as follows:

Michelle Alonso, S14

Carla Casals, S12

Julia Castello, S6

Mary Delgado, S12

Deborah Font, S13

Omar Font, S12

Sarai Gascon, S9

Joan Giralt, S10

Jordi Gordillo, S5

Marta Gomez, S13

Isabel Yinghua Hernandez, S10

David Levecq, S10

Miguel Luque, S3

Jose Antonio Mari, S9

Nuria Marques, S9

Miguel Angel Martinez, S3

Israel Oliver, S11

Richard Oribe, S4

Teresa Perales, S5

Antoni Ponce, S7

Sebastian Rodriguez, S5

Oscar Salguero, S8

Ricardo Ten, S5

At the 2011 European Championships in Berlin, Germany, Spain’s 35 strong sqaud finished third in the medals table with a total of 57 gongs (26 gold, 13 silver and 18 bronze).

The 2014 IPC Swimming European Championships, featuring nearly 400 swimmers from 40 countries, will be streamed live at the IPC’s YouTube channel.

Tickets are also still available at the Eindhoven 2014 website.