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Biography
Impairment information
Type of Impairment
Spinal Cord Injuries
Origin of Impairment
Acquired
Classification
T54
Further personal information
Residence
Manlleu, ESP
Occupation
Athlete
Languages
Catalan, English, Spanish
Sport specific information
When and where did you begin this sport?
He took up the sport in 2003.
Why this sport?
He was involved in athletics before his accident.
Name of coach
Javier Gutierrez [personal]
International debut
Year
2005
Competing for
Spain
Tournament
European Championships
Location
Finland
General interest
Nicknames
Rafa (elfarodemelilla.es, 24 Jun 2017)
Memorable sporting achievement
Winning the 2016 Paris Marathon in France, and representing Spain at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. (Athlete, 17 Jul 2017; marca.com, 05 Dec 2016; Facebook page, 27 Sep 2015)
Most influential person in career
His family, and coach Javier Gutierrez. (Athlete, 17 Jul 2017; rafabotello.blogspot.com.es, 23 Apr 2017)
Hero / Idol
Swiss wheelchair racer Heinz Frei. (Athlete, 17 Jul 2017)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"Dreams are earned, not fulfilled." (rafabotello.com, 23 Apr 2017)
Other sports
He has competed in duathlon and ironman competitions at national level. (rafabotello.com, 13 Sep 2015; dxtadaptado.com, 28 May 2014)
Impairment
He has paraplegia as the result of a cycling accident in 2002. (Athlete, 17 Jul 2017; 2ruedasmtb.com, 12 Jul 2012)
Other information
NATIONAL FIRST
In 2018 he became the first Spanish athlete to complete the six World Major Marathons [New York, Chicago, Boston, Berlin, London and Tokyo] after finishing the 2018 Tokyo Marathon in Japan. (Facebook page, 24 Feb 2018; dxtadaptado.com, 25 Feb 2018)
OTHER ACTIVITIES
He has been involved in organising a number of sporting events for Para athletes, including the Lanzarote Marathon in Spain and the Cali Half Marathon in Colombia. He has also given motivational speeches in Spain, Ecuador, Costa Rica and the United States of America. (rafabotello.com, 15 Dec 2015)
In 2018 he became the first Spanish athlete to complete the six World Major Marathons [New York, Chicago, Boston, Berlin, London and Tokyo] after finishing the 2018 Tokyo Marathon in Japan. (Facebook page, 24 Feb 2018; dxtadaptado.com, 25 Feb 2018)
OTHER ACTIVITIES
He has been involved in organising a number of sporting events for Para athletes, including the Lanzarote Marathon in Spain and the Cali Half Marathon in Colombia. He has also given motivational speeches in Spain, Ecuador, Costa Rica and the United States of America. (rafabotello.com, 15 Dec 2015)
Results
| Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 5000 m T54 | Heat 3 | 6 | ||
| Men's Marathon T54 | Final Round | 9999 | ||
| Men's 10000 m T54 | Heat 2 | 9999 | ||
| Men's 5000 m T54 | Heat 2 | 10 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Marathon T54 | Final Round | 11 | ||
| Men's 5000 m T54 | Heat 2 | 7 | ||
| Men's 1500 m T54 | Heat 1 | 8 | ||
| Men's 1500 m T54 | Heat 5 | 6 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 5000 m T53/54 | Heat 1 | 2011-01-24 | 7 | |
| Men's Marathon T53/54 | Final | 2011-01-30 | 13 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 5000 m T54 | Heat 2 | 2012-08-31 | 8 | |
| Men's Marathon T54 | Final Round | 2012-09-09 | 9 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 1500 m T54 | Heat 2 | 2015-10-23 | 27 | |
| Men's 5000 m T54 | Heat 1 | 2015-10-25 | 19 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 1500 m T54 | Heat 1 | 2017-07-16 | 18 | |
| Men's 5000 m T54 | Heat 2 | 2017-07-22 | 11 |