Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Youtube
TikTok
Biography
Impairment information
Type of Impairment
Spinal Cord Injuries
Origin of Impairment
Congenital
Classification
S6, SB5, SM6
Further personal information
Residence
Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Occupation
Consultant
Languages
English, Spanish
Higher education
Architecture - Florida International University: Miami, FL, USA
Sport specific information
When and where did you begin this sport?
She started in 2007 aged 21 in Miami, Florida.
Why this sport?
She resumed swimming after her disability. "When I stopped walking, I knew the only place that I would be comfortable out of the wheelchair was the water, so it was kind of a relief for me to go swimming," she says.
Club / Team
US Olympic Training Center: Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Name of coach
Dave Denniston
Coach from which country?
United States
Coach from what year?
2010
International debut
Year
2008
Competing for
United States
Location
United States
General interest
Nicknames
Ili. (Athlete, 30 Oct 2011)
Hobbies
Photography, kayaking, sailing. (Athlete, 30 Oct 2011)
Memorable sporting achievement
Being named Athlete of the Year by the Flay Fish Swimming Club. (Athlete, 30 Oct 2011)
Most influential person in career
Former coach Andrew Philips. (Athlete, 30 Oct 2011)
Hero / Idol
Her grandmother. (Athlete, 30 Oct 2011)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"I'm at peace with where I am in my life. After all, this is just the beginning." (mobilewomen.org, 16 Oct 2011)
Awards and honours
She has been named Athlete of the Year by the Flay Fish Swimming Club. (Athlete, 30 Oct 2011)
Ambitions
To work as an architect to make more buildings accessible to people with a disability. (usparalympics.org, 18 Oct 2011)
Impairment
At age 13 she became ill because of a spinal cord malformation called arterial venus malformation, and had a stroke at T10. The stroke left her unable to walk. (fiusports.com, 10 Apr 2008; usparalympics.org, 18 Oct 2011)
Other information
FROM CUBA TO AMERICA
Born in Cuba, she and her mother went to Miami when she was 15 to seek a second opinion about her condition. They left behind her father, brother and sister in Cuba. She and her mother liked life in the USA and decided to stay. The rest of the family eventually followed. (fiusports.com, 10 Apr 2008; mobilewomen.org, 16 Oct 2011)
Born in Cuba, she and her mother went to Miami when she was 15 to seek a second opinion about her condition. They left behind her father, brother and sister in Cuba. She and her mother liked life in the USA and decided to stay. The rest of the family eventually followed. (fiusports.com, 10 Apr 2008; mobilewomen.org, 16 Oct 2011)
Results
| Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM6 | Heat 1 | 2012-09-03 | 8 | |
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 1 | 2012-09-04 | 5 | |
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB5 | Final Round | 2012-09-05 | 7 | |
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB5 | Heat 1 | 2012-09-05 | 3 | |
| Women's 50 m Butterfly S6 | Heat 2 | 2012-09-07 | 7 | |
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 1 | 2012-09-08 | 4 |
