Xavier Torres

Xavi. (Twitter profile, 12 Aug 2021)

Swimming in the sea. (tokio2020.dxtadaptado.com, 25 Jul 2021)

Winning gold in the S1-6 men's 4x50m freestyle relay at the 1992 Paralympic Games in Barcelona to claim his first Paralympic gold. (SportsDeskOnline, 16 Aug 2021; tokio2020.dxtadaptado.com, 25 Jul 2021)

Coach Maria Castaner. (Instagram profile, 04 Aug 2021)

Spanish cyclist Miguel Indurain. (Athlete, 29 Dec 2010)

"Before a race, I always do everything in the same order from the time that I start warming up until the moment I put on my swimsuit to compete. It even includes things like when I put my glasses in my pocket." (tokio2020.dxtadaptado.com, 25 Jul 2021)

“Life is like a mirror. If you smile at it, it will smile at you back.” (Twitter profile, 12 Aug 2021)

In 2009 he was awarded the gold medal of the Royal Order of Sports Merit by the Spanish High Council of Sports. (wangconnection.com, 29 Oct 2014)

He became the first male athlete representing Spain in any sport to win 16 Paralmypic medals when he won silver in the SM4 150m individual medley at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. His tally was equalled by fellow Para swimmers Richard Oribe and Sebastian Rodriguez at the 2012 Games in London, but had not been surpassed by any male athlete prior to the 2020 Games in Tokyo. (SportsDeskOnline, 16 Aug 2021; tododisca.com, 02 Aug 2021)

To compete at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (tokio2020.dxtadaptado.com, 25 Jul 2021)

He has a congenital amputation of his arms and legs. (xavitorres.com, 27 Jul 2010)

COMEBACK FROM RETIREMENT
He retired from competitive swimming after the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. He decided to then focus his attention on coaching, becoming an assistant for the Spanish national swimming team at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. "I stopped competing because I suffered a lot physically during that 2012 Olympic cycle. But I cannot go two days without getting into the pool. I need to swim for health reasons." In February 2020, he then decided he would try to qualify for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, but did not publicise his intention to compete at the Games until July 2021. "It was a challenge, and now it is time to do our best in Tokyo. Although this time the medals will be fought by others, I have nothing to lose, so I will enjoy these Games like never before. It is never too late to start again." (marca.com, 14 Jul 2021; Instagram profile, 14 Jul 2021; diariodemallorca.es, 14 Jul 2021)

BOOK
His life story was told in a biography 'Sin Miedo a Caerme' [Without Fear of Falling], written by Spanish journalist Gabriel Forteza in 2019. The book won the 2020 Juan Palau Prize for Literature from the Spanish Federation of Sports for People with Physical Disabilities [FEDDF]. (diariodemallorca.es, 18 Jun 2020; marca.com, 12 Mar 2019; Twitter profile, 12 Mar 2019)